Tower Hill 2 Mine & Coke Ovens, Tower Hill Pennsylvania
The Tower Hill No. 2 mine is situated adjacent to the south side of its associated company town (also called Tower Hill No. 2) in Luzerne Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Tower Hill No. 2 was a bituminous mine that contained both extractive and processing facilities in addition to the company town. Tower Hill No. 2 was constructed in 1907 by the Tower Hill-Connellsville Coke Company of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and coal was first extracted in September of the same year. Beehive and rectangular ovens were utilized on the site for cooking the coal to produce coke. By 1913, the Tower Hill-Connellsville Coke Company was the third largest coal producer in the 16th Bituminous District, producing 621,278 tons. With short periods of closure, Tower Hill No. 2 survived stiff competition, receivership, volatility in the market, technological changes, strikes, and the Great Depression only to close in the 1940s after being mined out. The development and history of Tower Hill No. 2 is similar to many other bituminous mine operations during this unstable period.
