one of the best things about moving is unearthing long-forgotten treasures and the inevitable ephemera oddity. the image at left came from a 1954 souvenir pamphlet for the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company that i found inside a long-forgotten book. the illustration is that of a large cone in which anthracite (coal) was cleaned before it was sent to homes and businesses for heating purposes. the colors in this pamphlet are incredibly rich and bright and the title page of the pamphlet even has some wonderful mid-century advertising copy extolling the virtues of coal:"how nature baked the cake to keep you warm and comfortable with the heat and sunlight of millions of bygone years. "
as a native Pennsylvanian, it's somewhat heartbreaking to come across the pamphlet - the optimism in its pages nothing but a sad reminder of a burgeoning industry that is all but abandoned now.
2 comments:
I think it's sad when industries that create livelihood for millions of people dry up and vanish. I have seen with my own eyes what PA has become. It isn't pretty. The same can be said for the old mill towns in New England. They are a hollow shadow of what they once were.
On the other hand, one industry leaving opens up a whole new territory and niche for others to fill.
PA, though no longer in the coal and steel business, could in theory be the next great place for a new industry.
i lived in Cambridge, MA during the infamous Malden Mill fire of 1995. the response by the CEO of the mill - to keep all of his employees on the payroll while the plant was rebuilt - was truly inspiring.
(more here: http://www.opi-inc.com/malden.htm)
in some instances though, mills cannot be rebuilt, shipyards lay idle, and technology reconfigures the needs (and wants) of society with nary a care to the people who inevitably lose their livelihoods due to the "new order".
i wish new American companies would give consideration to the vast wasteland towns that supported these abandoned industries for new factories - rather than setting up shop overseas.
:(
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