Various industrial pioneers mined coal in and around the area which later became Buck Run from 1850 until 1900. In 1900 James B. Neale, along with fellow Yale University gradute Samuel Brinckerhoff, purchased the abandoned and inundated Woodside Colliery in Foster Township and began building Buck Run Colliery. The breaker finally opened and the first coal was shipped on March 12, 1902. Buck Run Coal Company made constant improvments to the facilities such as new fans, breaker upgrades, and electric haulage. The coal seams mined were Buck Mountain, "Crosby," and "Daniel." I don't know what actual seams the latter two correlated with. At any rate, Buck Run Coal Co. produced coal through good years and bad years until its dissolution in 1938. James Neale died five years later. In the 1940s, Buck Run Colliery Co. oversaw stripping operations that sometimes included smaller operators such as Repplier Coal Co., Shumacher & Schultz, and Sandy Run Miners & Producers. Little to nothing remains of the colliery now.
Buck Run is one of the most historically significant coal company towns in Schuylkill County, perhaps rivalled only by Kaska for its unique "model town" architecture. Buck Run was a "progressive" community as opposed to being just a "patch town," and was replete with school, churches, recreational facilities, and a store. The company store was named "Peoples Store Company" to comply with Pennsylvania law that coal companies could not directly operated their stores like West Virgnia and Kentucky. A community house was opened in 1916, and this facility featured a gymnasium, ballroom, bowling alley, billiard and card rooms, and a full-time athletic director.
March 2026 image by author
These cottages may have been a few of the original miners' company houses at Buck Run.
March 2026 image by author
Pennsylvania mine records state that 11 houses were built by Buck Run Coal in 1915, and 12 more were under construction at that time. These may be among those houses.
March 2026 image by author
James Neale cared about the welfare of his workers and their families, and this is reflected in the attractive architecture of Buck Run's company-built houses.
2026 image by author
Buck Run company houses were superior to the coal company homes found in other "patch towns" in this coalfield. They even featured electricity, running water, and steam heat.March 2026 image by author
Trinity Lutheran Church remains of the three churches that were originally in Buck Run. The other two (now defunct) were St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.Image by Fr. Elijah Bremer
Made from the same field stone construction as the church but with English Tudor accents, James Neale lived in his coal community in this 15 bedroom mansion that overlooked the colliery.
2008 image by Jeff of PA
Sadly, the once-magnificent mansion fell into disrepair and was abandoned. At the time of this photo, Foster Township was trying to force the owner to demolish it.
2008 image by Jeff of PA
In the early 21st century, the exterior of the James Neale mansion was overgrown with landscaping run amok.
In 2012, a gentleman from Virginia purchased the mansion and began restoring it to its former grandeur.
January 2014 image courtesy of WBRE
Tragedy struck when the nearly-restored mansion caught fire in January 2014. The owner was only weeks away from moving in
when the blaze that originated with a defective extension cord caused extensive damage. At the time, he vowed to rebuild.
March 2026 image by author
The mansion was never actually rebuilt after the fire. There has been talk of turning it into a park, but there were no trespassing signs around it when I took this picture.
