The "main entry," often compared to a main street, dominated the layout, while other entries were dug parallel to the main at regular intervals.These parallel entries were connected at right angles with cross entries somewhat like side streets. "Rooms," about 24 feet wide, were made at regular intervals. Many laborers were required in the preliminary stages, including a special "rock man" called in to blast down enough rock to attain the desired height in the main entry. The heights of the room was determined by the thickness of the coal seam which was, in Indiana, Jefferson and Armstrong counties, an average of 32" to the six feet found at Iselin and parts of Lucerne. The working surface in each room, called the "face," was advanced a few feet each day into the solid coal in the direction of the cross entries. 
Most company houses had a huge garden which filled every available inch of space on its lot. Housewives helped each other can and preserve large quantities of fruits and vegetables. Mothers expected children to participate in this yearly event by washing canning jars and sorting rings and lids. In the absence of refrigeration, some families set old washtubs into the clay floors of their cellars, where the temperature got so low in winter one could set "Jello."A Walk Through Time: Pennsylvania Coal Culture
Featuring the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company Collection
September 15–December 5, 2009
The University Museum at IUP
Public Reception: September 19, 2009
The University Museum, in cooperation with IUP Special Collections and University Archives, presents “A Walk Through Time: Pennsylvania Coal Culture Featuring the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company Collection.” The exhibit opens to the public on September 15, 2009.
Mining memorabilia, mine maps, photographs, blueprints for company towns, and other historical materials illustrate R&P Coal Company operations, miners’ work underground, and life in the region’s coal patches. From 1881 until its acquisition by Consol Coal Group in 1998, Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company (or R&P, as it was familiarly known) was one of the largest producers of bituminous coal in the United States. The exhibition also features an overview of IUP’s IMAPS program for scanning historical mine maps to preserve them and make digital copies available for current mining operations.
Iselin Company Store cira 1920's
