Editing Duryea, Pennsylvania (section)

===Coal mining===
Farming was the principal occupation in the early days. Pioneer settlers found many portions of the land suitable for raising food that they needed for existence. Shortly after, mining would become the area's greatest source of prosperity, along with [[silk]] mills and stone quarries.

Three large [[Colliery|colliers]] once operated around Duryea.  As in other nearby communities, the coal was often mined directly under the town itself. Remnants of strip mines and [[spoil tip|culm]] banks still litter the landscape to this day. After the [[Knox Mine Disaster]] (1959), which occurred only several miles outside of Duryea, the mining industry in the [[Wyoming Valley]] collapsed.

After the death of coal and the loss of the silk mill, the town encouraged the likes of [[Schott AG|Schott Optical]] and Topps Bubble Gum to establish medium-sized plants in the town. However, these would never replace the jobs and revenue provided by coal. The borough witnessed a declining population along with a shrinking enrollment within its schools. This resulted in the takeover of the town's schools by the [[Pittston Area School District]]. The remaining neighborhood schools were eventually phased out and shut down with Duryea Elementary being shut down in 1981.