COALPORT AREA COAL MUSEUM

Learn More About COALPORT AREA COAL MUSEUM

The Coalport Area Coal Museum is located in the large hallway of the Coalport Community Building at 961 Forrest Street in "Historic Coalport" (Beccaria Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania)
Founded in 1991 through the efforts of the Coalport Area Museum Commission and the Glendale Industrial Development Association, our Museum was funded initially by contributions from the community, donations from businesses, and small grants. Thanks to the Coalport Borough Council, the museum was given a 'home' in its expansive corridors of the community building—itself the former Coalport Elementary School built in 1937.

​All of the artifacts in the Museum were donated by families of former coal miners who wished to have their memories preserved following our motto: To Enrich our Future by Preserving the Past. Most of the items on display are from the early hand-loading days of mining bituminous coal--for which our region was primarily known.
The town's name of "Coalport"," incorporated as a borough in 1883, most likely derived from the main industry that was quite ubiquitous in our central Pennsylvania region. Our records show there were over 400 coal mines at various times in our Glendale Valley region of central Pennsylvania--know for its quality-burning bituminous coal.

Although there are currently no deep mines, there are a few coal strip mines still operating in our area. Spoil piles of local mines still dot the region, and, among other places, can even be seen directly behind the Coal Museum. Heading north on Forest Street, there's a large space where the former "Sunshine Mine" existed—as Coalport was one of the very few communities which had a large working mine and tipple practically in the town center!

Coalport is one of the five municipalities making up the "Glendale Valley" region and is located three miles from Prince Gallitzin State Park and Glendale Lake. In April 2000, Coalport's downtown section had the honor of being named to the prestigious National Register of Historic Places—with 53 original buildings helping the town earn that distinction.