11/08/2025
So insightful.
GONE WITH THE WINDBER
In our November issue, correspondent James Gindlesperger takes a look back in time when one of our neighbors -- then just a brand new quaint Pennsylvania town -- was thrust into the national spotlight.
"Some of you may recall that Windber got its start as a company town for the Berwind-White Coal Company, serving as the headquarters town for the company. To provide just a bit of background, the Wilmore Coal Company, a subsidiary of Berwind-White, purchased about 30,000 acres of land that was rich with coal in 1892."
Wilmore Coal + Berwind White Coal = Windber.
"Workers lived in company houses, banked with the company bank, and got their utilities from the only ones in town. To keep the workers happy, the company also sponsored theatrical, athletic, and recreational events. The company-owned Arcadia Theater - still in use today - was a hub for entertainment, and Windber Hospital, also owned by the company, took care of their medical needs. Despite this, there was friction between the workers and the company. Inevitably, that friction led to some serious unrest in Windber in the early 1900s, when workers found ways to fight back."
"On April 16, 1906 everything fell apart. A peaceful demonstration was in progress outside the jail when nervous sheriff’s deputies opened fire on the crowd, killing four and wounding another 18. One of the dead was a ten-year old boy who was watching the demonstration. Dubbed the 'Windber Massacre,' the incident resulted in a mounted contingent of state police coming in to maintain the peace. "
"For 16 years, little changed in the Berwind-White mines. Then, in 1922, the UMWA waged another national strike. Five days after the UMWA walked out, nearly every mine in Somerset County was shut down when the workers joined in. Berwind-White mines were completely shut down, and the 1906 grievances were brought out once again. This time, however, the miners added one more: a demand that a 40% wage reduction that had been imposed a year earlier be rescinded. The company agreed to rescind the wage cut, but stood their ground on everything else. The miners responded by organizing three UMWA locals, the first in Windber’s history."
What resulted then thrust the tiny town into the national news and is still an event observed and commemorated to this day.
Pick up a copy of our November issue -- available now - and read the fascinating details. History happens right here at home
