1892 Map of Pinegrove

About this map

The ridge-and-valley landscape of southern Schuylkill County is dominated here by a dense network of anthracite-era railroads and mining settlements. Minersville and Pinegrove anchor a terrain defined by parallel ridges like Sharp Mountain and Broad Mountain, where the coal industry's influence is clear in the placement of New Mines and Branch Dale. The complex rail infrastructure of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and its many offshoots, such as the Lorberry Branch P. & R. R.R., crisscrosses the gaps to connect coal patches like Heckscherville and Donaldson to larger markets. Waterways such as the Schuylkill River and Swatara Creek cut through the gaps of Blue Mountain, providing the natural corridors used by the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Branch and other lines to navigate the difficult topography.