JENNERS, PA
A large mining camp named Jenners, built by the Somerset Coal Company to house the workers of their
Jenners No. 1 through 4 mines. Later Jenners became Consolidation Coal Company Mine No. 118 (in the Upper Kittanning coal seam).
From a July 25, 1906 Boston Evening Transcript article titled "Will Open New Mines:"
J.H. Wheelwright, vice president of the Consolidation Coal Company, has returned home from a trip through the Somerset region of Pennsylvania,
where the Somerset Coal Company, which is owned by the Consolidation, is opening up a new territory ... In speaking of the plans of the
Somerset Company, Mr. Wheelwright said, "The coal is the best in Pennsylvania, and
there is sufficient in the field [sic] to keep the mines going at the rate of over 1,000,000 tons a year for more than a century. The property
lies in what is known as the Johnstown basin, above the town of Boswell and in the Jenner field. We have authority to open two mines, which will
have a capacity of from 2000 to 3000 tons of coal a day, and by fall will have a town of 2000 inhabitants located nearby. The Quemahoning creek runs
through the property, and we will locate another town on the creek, which will have at least 2000 inhabitants. This will be ready within twelve
months. There will be five mines in the new field, and it is planned to have a big central power plant to furnish electric current to run the cars in
the various mines. In addition, it is planned to build a new railroad through the property to connect with the Baltimore & Ohio. At present the
branch we have to use is over twenty-two miles long and traverses a circuitous route. The new line will be only fourteen miles long, and the
grade will be less than one-half of one per cent. By fall we will be mining not less than 1000 tons a day, and the output will be increased as the
work of developing the property progresses. It was not until about May that we started to develop the property at all, and rapid progress has been
made in all the work of sinking shafts, etc. In one of the towns we have over 100 houses already built. The new field lies north of the mines
which the Somerset Company is now working, and the samples of coal we have secured give us every reason for encouragement. We were anticipating the development
of this new territory last spring when we ordered 1000 steel coal cars of 100 tons capacity from the South Baltimore Steel Car and Foundry
Company for the Somerset Coal Company."
Part of the No. 118 colliery at Jenners. (Image source lost)
Coal company housing. (July 2002 image by author)
Another scene from the Jenners patch, later owned by the Somerset Coal Company. (July 2002 image by author)