Allport coal mine and town were probably named after coal baron James H. Allport of Barnesboro, Pa. In 1900, production began at Allport Coal Co. No. 1 mine in the Upper Freeport, or "E," coal seam. Allport No. 2 was in the "D," or Lower Freeport, seam. They were served by the Walnut Run Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Pennsylvania 1901 coal mining report states, "Allport No. 1—This mine was upon each visit in good condition. There are two seams being worked with an incline plane from the lower to the upper one, barneys being attached to the ropes; its general condition is very good."
Around 1910, Pennsylvania Coal and Coke Co. acquired the Allport No. 1 mine and renamed it its No. 17E Mine. It renamed No. 2 Mine 17D. Pennsylvania Coal & Coke was still listed as operating these two mines in 1926. An accident report in 1932 shows Mine 17E still in operation, as does a Federal Register entry in 1938. The mine eventually extended all the way back near Slickport, which must have made for a long mantrip ride.
Also, old mining maps show that circa 1916 Watkins Coal Co., better known for its nearby Watkins coal mine and town, was leasing at least one of the mines for a few years. It called it Watkins No. 2.
December 2021 image by author
Assumed to be coal company houses.
December 2021 image by author
The only structure remaining from the Allport mines is this former motor barn/repair shop. It is now used by Susquehanna Township.
The motor barn is shaded in yellow (by the author) on this portion of an old mine map. Note that the mine portal is labeled as Allport No. 1-2. I believe that coal from both mines, in different seams, may have been brought out of one portal.
December 2021 image by author
The former school at Allport is no longer used for that purpose. It was actually called Cymbria School. Cymbria was a mine and company town next to Allport.
December 2021 image by author
Sources:
Fitzsimons, Gray, editor. Blair and Cambria County, Pennsylvania; An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites. 1990.
Sisler, James D. Bituminous Coal Fields of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 1926.
Report of the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Internal Affairs of Pennsylvania 1900. Wm. Stanley Ray, 1901.
Report of the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Internal Affairs of Pennsylvania 1901. Wm. Stanley Ray, 1902.
