American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Landscape-oriented outdoor view of what appears to be an 0-6-0 diamond stack locomotive with tender labeled "Eagleton," and a flat rail car carrying what appear to be 8 barrels lined in rows. One man wearing a large hat leans his head and upper body out of the window of the cab, looking forward, another man poses straddling the gap between the cab and the tender, with one foot on each, and another man stands on the flat car behind the barrels, looking toward the camera. Steam is pouring from the stack and dome, and in the foreground, a stump, hewn logs, a stump, and part of a fence can be seen. (Some imperfections to plate including possible weeping effect, and wear to emulsion to upper portion; unsealed.) Housed in a Very Rare Union wall frame, Geometric [Berg 7-18] (soiling, minor chipping/nicking).

Eagleton was a short-lived mining community in Central Pennsylvania, founded by the Eagleton Coal & Iron Company, which operated there from 1853-1865. At one time the Eagleton camp included around 60 dwellings, a store, office, and outbuildings. Coal from Eagleton and surrounding mining communities including Peacock and Rock Cabin had to be transported to a main railroad, therefore the Tangascootack and Eagleton coal mine railroads were built, being completed in April of 1861. Once completed, they were connected to the Sunbury & Erie Railroad, which provided the first reliable outlet from the small coal basins.