coal miners – Tuscarawas County Stories

The 1914 Killing of Joseph Reed on Beaver Avenue

Ai generated image depicting mimicking a postcard image of Beaver Avenue, 2026. (Source: ChatGPT)

A New Philadelphia teen desperately defended his family from his abusive stepfather. Content warning: The following story contains references to domestic violence. If you are experiencing domestic abuse or violence and need help, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The story begins with Catherine Swan Nelson (1867-1957), a Swedish immigrant who, after being widowed fromContinue reading “The 1914 Killing of Joseph Reed on Beaver Avenue”

American Dream Ended: The Murder of Arnold Abbuhl

Ai image depicting Arnold Abbuhl saying goodbye to his family the morning of his murder, 2026. (Source: ImageFX)

A Swiss immigrant’s American Dream ended with a blast of buckshot in 1885. Arnold Abbhul (1848-1885) and his family arrived in the village of Barnhill shortly after their immigration from Switzerland in April 1885. Arnold sought a new life for his family in Ohio, only to find a labor conflict brewing when he arrived. TwoContinue reading “American Dream Ended: The Murder of Arnold Abbuhl”

Tragedy Beneath Midvale: The Mine Explosion of 1931

Midvale Mine #4 enhanced image. (Source: facebook.com)

A sudden underground blast left five dead and a community demanding answers. On the morning of January 3, 1931, an explosion tore through the No. 4 mine of the Midvale Coal Company near Midvale, Ohio. The explosion and subsequent gas build-up killed five miners and injured several rescuers. The blast occurred around 9 a.m. asContinue reading “Tragedy Beneath Midvale: The Mine Explosion of 1931”

Death Behind Closed Doors: The Gray and Llewellyn Tragedy

AI generated image depicting James Gray and Kitty Llewellyn on the bed in the Grimm boarding house in November 1910. (Source Microsoft Designer)

New Philadelphia was shaken in 1910 when a secret meeting between two familiar residents ended in scandalous death. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources toContinue reading “Death Behind Closed Doors: The Gray and Llewellyn Tragedy”

A Bullet and a Bet: The “William Tell” Killing of Dale Zeigler

AI generated image from prompt "An image from and evening in November 1947 of three off-duty coal miners sitting in a room, drinking whiskey. There is a revolver visible on a table in the scantily furnished room. A coal fired heat stove sits along one wall. " (Source: Google ImageFX)

A night of drinking, a reckless wager, and a single gunshot in the fall of 1947 turned a quiet Tuscarawas County farmhouse into the scene of a tragic death. Dale Zeigler (1923-1947) came from a large family that farmed in the Ruslin Hills area of Dover Township, a few miles north east of Dover itself.Continue reading “A Bullet and a Bet: The “William Tell” Killing of Dale Zeigler”

Bullet in the Night: The 1928 Murder of Charles Eggan

AI depiction of Charles Orland Eggan lying on the floor of the Midvale Mine #4's stable as his killer looks in the window.

On a September night in 1928, a stable boss at Midvale Mine #4, was found dead with a bullet wound to the head—setting off a decades-long mystery. Charles Orland Eggan (1898-1928) was the son of James Early Eggan (1872-1939) and Olive Matbell Ryan (1870-1940), a farming couple rooted in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Raised on theContinue reading “Bullet in the Night: The 1928 Murder of Charles Eggan”

Decapitated and Burned: Explosion at the Stone House Mine

Two miners digging coal in a coal mine in North Dakota, c. 1925. (Source: dp.la)

Recently I posted an image of a Bureau of Mines Mine Rescue Car that visited the mining town of Roswell in 1923. That image, and a comment from someone who saw it, led me to examine a tragic incident from 1927 that occurred at a local Tuscarawas County coal mine outside of Mineral City. TwoContinue reading “Decapitated and Burned: Explosion at the Stone House Mine”

Mine Rescue Car Visits Roswell

Detail from a larger image of the men who attended the Mine Rescue Car during its visit to Roswell, Tuscarawas County, January 1923.

My neighbor gave me a panoramic image taken in December 1923 titled “Department of Interior, Bureau of Mines, Car #5, at Roswell, Ohio, December 1923” that shows the miners of that community and even lists some of their names. Recognize anyone? During the first few decades of the 20th century nearly a million people workedContinue reading “Mine Rescue Car Visits Roswell”