Ghost Town: Claghorn
Ghost towns? In Western PA? You bet your hiking boots there are ghost towns in Western PA! If you are from the area, you have probably heard of the Ghost Town Trail. This trail is named for the eight abandoned mining towns and the town of Beulah.
In this and future blogs I will explore some of the ghost towns located along the trail. This weekend I ventured out to the site of Claghorn.
The Beginning
The Lackawanna Coal and Coke Company of Wehrum began building the town in 1903. Named after the superintendent of the Lackawanna Coal, Clarence Claghorn, Claghorn began taking shape.
In 1904 there was an economic downturn. As a result, the town was abandoned. The site sat empty for many years. Then, in 1916, the Vinton Colliery Company purchased Claghorn and completed its construction.
The Town
When the Vinton Colliery Company purchased Claghorn and finished construction, they subsequently opened six mines. This provided plenty of work for the new residents.
The town had 84 houses that people could rent for $7 a day. It was $8 a day if they wanted electricity. Each house was a single family home and had six rooms. They were two stories and had a single-gable roof.
Photograph from Robert Cresswell, courtesy of Denise Weber. From Claghorn by Raymond A Washlaski
The town also had a three story hotel that had 22 rooms. One building to serve as the school, the theater and church was also built.. And of course, what would a coal mining town be without it’s Company Store. The streets were lined with wooden side walks, which added elegance to the small mining town.
At the height of its existence, the population numbered 400. About 150 of them were miners. Children and families lived here quite happily.
In 1917 Indiana County built the three-arch reinforced concrete bridge that still stands today. Therefore connecting the town to the mines across the creek. It cost $19,000 to build. In today’s money that would be $420,905.69.
Ghost Town
Sadly, the coal seams were shallow. The miners encountered frequent rock channels that interrupted or ended their mining. And if these two problems weren’t enough, there were multiple labor disputes. All of this culminated in the closing of the mines in 1924.
Families continued to rent houses up through World War II. In 1946 the Kovalchick Salvage Company bought a batch of 68 buildings for demolition. The rest of the homes were sold in 1948 and consequently they were demolished. The once thriving town, with its lovely wooded sidewalks, was gone. All that remains are a few foundations.
The bridge is still standing and can be crossed. The land that used to hold Claghorn is now private property. If you intend on visiting I highly recommend you respect the Posted signs and contact the owners for permission to walk the grounds.
To visit Claghorn you can park at the Heshbon Trail head. Interested in another section of the trail? Check out my post.