The Worcester Coal Mine

Who would ever have guessed Worcester was once the coal mining mecca of New England? Okay, maybe it wasn't, but it did have a large coal mine, the remains of which can still be found today.

I recently paid a visit to the site off of Plantation Street in Worcester and shot the video you see below. Okay let me be honest here, this was my second visit to the site, the first is lost to memory by a computer crash and I lost all the pictures and videos of the event. This is unfortunate because the first visit was during late winter/early spring when the greenery had yet to fully bloom and it was much easier to see what was once a pretty large mine.

The mine area is now part of Green Hill Park and the East Side Trail and is managed by the Greater Worcester Land Trust. And let me throw this in here, I have hiked at least half of the properties these folks manage and they do an absolutely wonderful job of it. For properties that are in a city environment, they are remarkably clean and well-kept. Here is a trail map of the East Side Trail that you can download if you like. 

The coal mine itself was started in 1823, although the Native Americans probably mined it at some time. It closed in 1829, but was reopened 70 years later but was found to be unprofitable. According to one record I found, the shaft was "twelve feet wide, eight feet high had been carried into the hill about sixty feet". There was also a railroad built to bring the coal from the mine to nearby Lake Quinsigamond. 

The shaft itself has long collapsed but you can still see where it was and when the undergrowth hasn't bloomed you can walk through it and get an idea of how big it was. At the end of the shaft you can see the side of the hill where it ended. You can still get a sense of the size of it. There is a constant stream of water falling from the top of the hill and the walls are covered with moss. If you look around you will also see some coal in the ground that was never excavated. 

The other feature that can still be seen is the bed of the rail line. This is actually used as the trail to the mine. There is also a stone bridge that was used for the train as well. If I were to guess I would say the tailings from the mine were used to make this railbed. 

If you go at this time of year keep your eyes peeled as you could almost miss the shaft and even the end of the pit as it is quite overgrown. It is best to visit the mine either after or before the land has bloomed, although this is a beautiful area even now. Hiking the East Side Trail also reveals other little known histories of Worcester as well, some of these which will be written about later. 

Let me end this by saying in the last six months since I have been out waywardly walking through the wilds of Worcester and the surrounding area, I am amazed at what you can find out there. There is history and beauty all around us that most of us, or at least me, never knew was there. All you need to do is look.