The Hard Coal Navy Sailed on the Susquehanna River
The Hard Coal Navy was a nickname for the boats, barges, and crews that recovered waste anthracite from the bottom of the Susquehanna River. The documented industry stretched from the Luzerne County coal region through Columbia, Montour, and Northumberland, downstream toward Harrisburg, and into the lower river. One historical account describes about 20 companies and 300 workers along the Shickshinny–Harrisburg stretch.
October 31, 2026
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Terry Diener
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Additional Credits:
Credits: susquehannagreenway.org; The Morning Press, (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania) February 22, 1938, Page 63; Public Press, (Northumberland, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1893, Page 03; Daily Item, (Sunbury, Pennsylvania, July 14, 2013, Page A1; Columbia Montour Historical and Genealogical Society; Photo Credit: Bill Prentiss dredging coal near Chulasky, just south of Danville (circa approx. late 1940s- early 1950s). Photo source: Sis Hause Music With Permission Hard Coal Navy (Van Wagner) 2009
