MTR Henderson Mine

Montour Railroad

Henderson Mine

The Henderson Mine had an interesting setup. The mine was west of the point where the southeasterly trending Cross Creek Syncline abruptly ended at the Nineveh Syncline, which trended northeast. The coal seam ranged from 760' MSL at the southeastern end of the mine to 800' MSL at the western edge of the workings. The mine was down in the valley of McPherson Creek, at around 1,000' MSL, which kept the workings fairly shallow (about 240' at the tipple).

Henderson No. 1 Mine was opened in 1914 at McPherson's Mill (Hendersonville) and coincided with the completion of the Mifflin Extension of the Montour Railroad. The mining camp, built by the Henderson Coal Company to provide housing for the miners, was named Hendersonville in honor of Mr. William Henderson, an official of the company. The mine was eventually purchased by the Pittsburgh Coal Company and operated into the 1950s.

At 6:20 a.m. on March 13, 1917, the Henderson mine was rocked by a methane/coal dust explosion that resulted in the deaths of 14 miners. The explosion was attributed to a build up of methane gas that resulted when ventilation doors were left open during the morning shift change. The gas was ignited by an electrically-powered mining machine, a new technology in use at some newer mines in the Pittsburgh area.

The mine site and village are located northeast of the Southpointe exit on I-79 at the intersections of Morganza Road and Georgetown/Cecil Henderson Road. The tipple was northeast of Henderson Drive and south of the Montour Trail.

Below is a map of the Henderson Mine. Marked are the locations of the Montour RR, the two shafts into the mine (the coal seam was at 760 feet above sea level here), and Morganza Road. Ground elevation at the intersection of Morganza Road and Georgetown Road is 998 feet above sea level, so the mine was around 230 feet deep.

More pictures of the Henderson Mine can be found here.