Dec. 2002 image by author
At the foothills of Chestnut Ridge in the Connellsville Coke Region lies Oliphant Furnace, which was originally the site of an iron furnace operated by F.H. Oliphant in the 1870s. (This gentleman had previous experience with coke production at the nearby Kyle coke works.) The mine may have been opened at that time to support furnace operations. In the 1880s a beehive coke works was constructed. Here are a few of the remaining coke ovens.
Dec. 2002 image by author
Only a few of these company-built "Salt Box" houses survive at Oliphant Furnace, PA. The Fayette Coke and Furnace Co. was the operator there in the 1880s, and that firm may have constructed these houses.
Dec. 2002 image by author
In this photo coke oven ruins, the ash piles, and a reservoir that may have served the coke yard (for quenching) can be seen.
Dec. 2002 image by author
This section of "patch" housing at Oliphant Furnace may date from the time when H.C. Frick Coke Co. owned the operation. The Oliphant coal mine closed in 1926.
Dec. 2002 image by author
In this photo can be seen, from back to front, the slate dump, a bank of beehive coke oven ruins, and, in the foreground, industrial foundations that I cannot identify. Old maps show a coke oven ash dump here, so it may have been part of the ash disposal system.
