CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Penn State Lehigh Valley Continuing Education’s "Six @ Six" lecture series begins again in March with an in-depth look at the impact that the coal industry had on the people and culture of northeastern Pennsylvania. David Longenbach, instructor in history at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will present six lectures on “Old King Coal – Then and Now: Anthracite, Mining, Immigrants, Unrest, and Unions” at 6 p.m. beginning March 18 at the Lehigh Valley campus. The series is open to the public.
Anthracite was powering the Industrial Revolution by the turn of the 20th century. It continued to play a prominent role in meeting the production needs of two World Wars. The many people who contributed to the ethnic make-up of Northeastern Pennsylvania influence Pennsylvania heritage. The mining industry also witnessed first-hand the conflict between labor and management during the 19th century. The series will look at the impact of the immigrants who converged on the region, lured by the demand for labor in the coal mining districts of the anthracite field, and explore the unrest, its causes and some of the outcomes of these struggles.
Participants will be invited to view an interpretation of the screenplay, “Handprint of the Molly Maguires,” written and directed by Katina Bozikis, Penn State Lehigh Valley instructor in film studies.
The cost of the series is $59 per person, $89 for two people of the same household. Lectures will be held at 6 p.m. on March 18, 25, April 1, 22, 29, and May 6. “Handprint of the Molly Maguires” will be presented April 8 and 15 at 6 p.m.