New Exhibit Digs Into the History of Mining in the Phoenixville Area

In 1683, Charles Pickering was selling silver coins to folks near the banks of the creek that would bear his name.

There was one small problem—the coins weren’t really made of silver, and Pickering ended up convicted of counterfeit. Pickering was mining the area and found what was believed to be silver.

While Pickering was one of the first miners in the Phoenixville area, he wouldn’t be the last, and thanks to a new exhibit at (HSPA), you can find out more about mining and its roots here in the area.

According to Sue Marshall, president of HSPA, the mining exhibit came about thanks to a donation last summer. The widow of Joseph Varady donated various minerals and a diorama from her late husband’s collection.

“The fact that we had this new donation was part of what inspired this exhibit,” Marshall said.

The exhibit, which opened on January’s First Friday, features information on the children who worked in area mines as well as samples of minerals mined locally. Several samples of Pyromorphite—colorful lead ore found in the Wheatley Mine in Schuylkill Township—are on display as well as items from the life of a miner, carefully laid out in a big display case at the front of the exhibit.

In 1850, there were 400 men working in the Wheatley Mines, which were located on Creek Road along the Pickering Creek between Tinker Hill Road and Whitehorse Road. The Wheatley Mines were part of the Phoenixville Mining District and lead and silver were mined from them.

The exhibit may introduce some people to an aspect of the Phoenixville area’s past that isn’t well known, Marshall said.

“Most people don’t know,” she said. “That’s what makes it so interesting to people who are new to the area.”

The exhibit, “Deep in the Mines: Local Mines Fuel the Industrial Revolution in Phoenixville,” runs through the end of March at the Historical Society. For times and dates when you can stop in to view the free exhibit, visit the HSPA website.

Additionally, for those looking to clean out the attic (or go bargain hunting) the Society also has a flea market coming up on Jan. 21 and you can find out more about that on the website as well.