SANTIAGO, PA

Now known as Santiago, Pennsylvania, this former coal mining town located 14 miles from downtown Pittsburgh has also been known at times as North Star or Tyre. Imperial Coal Company opened the Partridge mine here in 1898. It was served by the Montour Railroad. By 1899 Pittsburgh Coal Company was the owner of the Partridge Mine. The mine had closed by 1930.

Sep. 2023 image by authorSome of the coal company houses remaining at Santiago.

Sep. 2023 image by authorThe pressed clay block foundations seen here can be found on company houses throughout the town.

Sep. 2023 image by authorThere are also these former duplex houses that are commonly found at "patch towns" all over Western Pennsylvania. These former two-family homes have been remodeled into single-family housing.

Sep. 2023 image by authorAt one time there were at least nine of these duplex "patch" houses on the hilltop overlooking the tipple. This is the last remaining one, and is apparently uninhabited.

Sep. 2023 image by authorI would say that there is an "honor roll" in over 75% of coal company towns in Pennsylvania that I have visited. These are memorials to the community's veterans who served in various wars (this particular one even lists "peace time" veterans). For a high-resolution image showing the names, click here.

Sep. 2023 image by authorThe only surficial remnant of the coal mine is this portion of the power house. It was originally a larger structure.

Sources:

Ciminel, Bob. “Partridge Mine.” Montour Railroad, 2012.

Pennsylvania Report of the Bureau of Mines, 1898; 1899; 1900.