The No. 9 Coal Mine was first opened in 1855 by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. A large vein of Anthracite coal, known as the Mammoth Vein, was the main focus of mining operations in the Panther Valley. 

The No. 9 Mine operated from 1855 until June 22, 1972, making it the longest continuously operated deep Anthracite coal mine in the world. The No. 9 Mine was left abandoned until a local group, committed to preserving the region's coal mining heritage, took control of the property in 1992. 

Visitors to the mine ride by rail 1,600 feet into the mountain before embarking on a 600 foot guided walking tour. Tourists can examine the original 700 foot deep mine shaft, walk the "mule-way" (where young men guided the mules between the different levels of the mine), and see a miner's hospital cut into solid rock. Outside on the grounds is the museum, housed in the No.9 Mine’s original "Wash Shanty" constructed before the First World War. The museum houses the largest collection of mining artifacts in the area.

Learn more about the #9 Coal Mine Museum