Preserving an Ephemeral Landscape: The Outbuildings and Back Spaces of Eckley Miners’ Village, PA

During the summer of 2017, the Anthracite Heritage Project held a combined historical archaeology and historic preservation field school at Eckley Miners’ Village, a former coal company town turned outdoor history museum just outside of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This internship research focused on the mapping of outbuildings and backspaces of the village in the hopes of better understanding work areas and the organization of space on the house lot level. Geospatial analysis was used to examine the architectural and archaeological data gathered during the field season. As a final product, a combined report on the findings of both the architectural and archaeological survey was produced, as well as a basemap of the historic resources of Eckley. The research provided a greater understanding of the museum’s historic resources, the historic built environment, the use of space in a company town, and the broader landscape of the Anthracite coal region.