Precariously Perched on the Facade of a Coke Oven.
WARNING: Do Not Play around Coke Ovens. Really. It’s super unsafe.
S/O to Steel City Brand for creating the amazing ‘Yinz’ Shirt.

CONNELLSVILLE, PA -
Growing up in the hills of Fayette County, PA; I’ve always had a pride that came from being the brother and son of Coalminers. If you have ever known a hard day’s work; then you know what a fraction of their lives are like.
The coal that was mined in the Southwestern Pa Hills (SWPA) just outside of Connellsville, PA; was the key ingredient that helped US Steel build our country pre, during, and post war time.

In a VERY short explanation:

Mine the coal
Load it in a Coke Oven
Brick it up
Let it burn for 3 days
Burn the impurities out
Knock down the bricks of the oven
Shovel it onto a rail car
Send it down the line to Pittsburgh’s Steel Mills

Why burn the coal only to put it out?
Burning the impurities out of it allows it to burn hotter.
This tempers the iron ore to extreme heats, creating steel.
As I said, extremely abridged version, but something to be very proud of nonetheless.

However, when the mines close; what happens to the coke ovens?
They become abandoned. Used only for passerby Hobos looking to steal clean clothes off the line, or worse: Children.

”Stay away from the ‘red eyes’ of the old Coke ovens… it’s where the Hobos hide.
If they see you… They’ll snatch you right up!”
This was truly a warning that my mother heard from her father that came from living around the Coke ovens.

Much like any part of the world that held a high level of pressure and honor in the industrious nation that it helped build, it isn’t without its sense of mystery and folklores.

Mystery, Murder, Ghosts and an overall sense of feeling uneasy comes from walking in certain parts of these mined hills…

But that is a story for another day.