COAL MINING

(Photo of 1937, Not copied) The William Buchanan farm house built in the 1800s. It is now the Riethmiller/Dixon Farm,

When the township was yet a wilderness, the William Buchanans settled about three miles south of Greenfield. They worked hard to clear the land and built a palatial house (as pictured) and barn that still stand today in good condition. The Buchanan Farm was found to be rich in bituminous coal. They became quite wealthy. The coal was most convenient for the new steel mills in Sharon and Farrell. There were a total of 4 mines ( with vertical adits) in the township. Another was the Madge Mine one mile south of Greenfield. When the mine closed a large pile of coal remained. Later the coal was burned into "red rock" and used as a solid foundation for township roads. The burning process took several years.

The Pilgrim Mine operated over a period of several years and closed in 1910. Barney and Jake Pilgrim, brothers, lived in Greenfield. They bought a Model T Ford in 1914, possibly the first car in the township. Descendants of this family, William "Chris" and Sandy Pilgrim operate a "century farm" in Mercer County as grain farmers growing corn and soybeans.

The final mine was opened near the Pilgrim Mine and was operated by Floyd Spears who used a pony for moving the coal. The B&O Railroad provided spurs to the various mines. This made it possible to transport the coal.