Coal Regions of PA SLANG

[folkh]

Anyone from the Coal Regions of PA will love this site called Coal Speak
CoalSpeak: Dictionary of the Coal Region (http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)
Brings back many memories of growing up in the Coal Regions.

[SouthOfTheBorder]

Anyone from the Coal Regions of PA will love this site called Coal Speak
CoalSpeak: Dictionary of the Coal Region (http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)
Brings back many memories of growing up in the Coal Regions.

Hard coal or soft coal, big difference for the region of PA. :):)

Don
Soft coal region

[Carpe Diem]

And the "sing songy" manner in which it is all said. I miss that.

I was born in Pottsville (home of Yuengling) and had fun at Angela Park many times. We fit eight kids in the car and drove up from Tamaqua. We had our eyes out for the "staties" (State Police) and everyone would duck if we saw one. Every morning, a bunch of us walked out to the coal mines, swam in "strippin' holes" (strip coal mines filled with water), built tree forts, hunted chippies with bb guns and looked for fossils. We snuck tools out of our parents sheds and as 10 year olds would find a small vein near the surface and tried to start a kids coal mining company. Wandered back into town late in the day. The scarred terrain of the strip mines was paradise to us.

Polish weddings and accordians were great. "In heaven there is no beer."

I haven't lived in PA for 30 years, but the VERY FIRST people I met at the Villages were from Pottsville (they were in a Penn State golf cart parade). I thought to myself, "nobody ever gets out of Pottsville!!!" We bought our house at the Villages six days into our first visit. We signed the documents and thought, "what have we done?" We walked out of the sales center and sat down in Sumter Square. It was Oktoberfest. I had a Yuengling in my hand and the first song the band played was, "In heaven there is no beer."

I knew we made the right decision.

[folkh]

Hard coal or soft coal, big difference for the region of PA. :):)

Don
Soft coal region

Hard Coal, Coaldale, PA

[folkh]

And the "sing songy" manner in which it is all said. I miss that.

I was born in Pottsville (home of Yuengling) and had fun at Angela Park many times. We fit eight kids in the car and drove up from Tamaqua. We had our eyes out for the "staties" (State Police) and everyone would duck if we saw one. Every morning, a bunch of us walked out to the coal mines, swam in "strippin' holes" (strip coal mines filled with water), built tree forts, hunted chippies with bb guns and looked for fossils. We snuck tools out of our parents sheds and as 10 year olds would find a small vein near the surface and tried to start a kids coal mining company. Wandered back into town late in the day. The scarred terrain of the strip mines was paradise to us.

Polish weddings and accordians were great. "In heaven there is no beer."


I haven't lived in PA for 30 years, but the VERY FIRST people I met at the Villages were from Pottsville (they were in a Penn State golf cart parade). I thought to myself, "nobody ever gets out of Pottsville!!!" We bought our house at the Villages six days into our first visit. We signed the documents and thought, "what have we done?" We walked out of the sales center and sat down in Sumter Square. It was Oktoberfest. I had a Yuengling in my hand and the first song the band played was, "In heaven there is no beer."

I knew we made the right decision.

Great Post!!

[eremite06]

My maternal grandfather worked 50 years in the mines (hard coal). Summit Hill, Pa.

[Carpe Diem]

Anyone from the Coal Regions of PA will love this site called Coal Speak
CoalSpeak: Dictionary of the Coal Region (http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)
Brings back many memories of growing up in the Coal Regions.

Great dictionary. I still smile when I hear the language spoken.

[784caroline]

Have large chuncks of Antricite coal in the front yard !!!

[JMEZARIC3]

Anyone from the Coal Regions of PA will love this site called Coal Speak
CoalSpeak: Dictionary of the Coal Region (http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)
Brings back many memories of growing up in the Coal Regions.
Great site.I grew up in Exeter,Pa,went to Bloom and my first job after college was at the F W Woolworth store in Pottsville.

[coalminer]

Im from western PA near Washington. Both of my grandfathers, my Dad, Me and now my son, all coal miners. Did I mention my uncles and cousins and my Father-in-law also coal miners.

[quirky3]

I am a coal miner's great-grand-daughter. My Mom's Grandpa was a coal miner near Pottsville PA.

He told her the story of how they were underground, and noticed that their "warning canary" had died - (means that a gas explosion could be imminent). They started running out of the mine. He survived, but lost one arm in the blast.

I remember visiting there - Pennsylvania Dutch and German cultures. "Bleenies" (blintzes), sticky buns, shoo-fly pie.

[scrapple]

I was raised in Tamaqua, class of '77. We used to go up in the "strippins" to swim, camp out, watch the world go by. My Pappy worked the South Ward Vein. I can still remember hearing the horns go off when there was a blast and a cave in. He was one of 11 men in a cave in that killed several. I miss the church ladies selling pierogies, halushka and stickie buns. And the Friday codfish cakes! I still make boilo in the winter. When is the next meeting?

[folkh]

I was raised in Tamaqua, class of '77. We used to go up in the "strippins" to swim, camp out, watch the world go by. My Pappy worked the South Ward Vein. I can still remember hearing the horns go off when there was a blast and a cave in. He was one of 11 men in a cave in that killed several. I miss the church ladies selling pierogies, halushka and stickie buns. And the Friday codfish cakes! I still make boilo in the winter. When is the next meeting?

Do you know where Seek is? That's where I grew up!!!

[pivo]

I was born and raised in Carbondale pa. home of the first mine and stourbridge lion train from Carbondale to Honesdale.
Remember the big mine cave ins the late forty's and mine fires. never had to worry about locking your doors , the area was hardworking miners railroad workers, honest and helpful their was no place better to live and raise your family that was then.
Today we have a mix of different people from the cities, girls having baby's and getting all kinds of welfare, drugs, crime you name it what a shame to go back home and see this.

[Xavier]

My Dad was from Blossburg and the Morris Run area in north central PA. One of 13 kids. Every Labor Day weekend was the Polish Picnic at the Catholic Hall. Great food and great fun. Bands played all day. Funerals and Weddings lasted 3 days. It was hard to tell them apart except for the dead guy or gal in the box. Grandpa died at 60 years old of black lung. I loved spending the Summers up on the farm. We'd worked the fields all day and we'd then take a 10 mile bike ride to go swimming and clean off in a very cold stream. What a life.

Xavier

[Carpe Diem]

I was raised in Tamaqua, class of '77. We used to go up in the "strippins" to swim, camp out, watch the world go by. . . I miss the church ladies selling pierogies, halushka and stickie buns. And the Friday codfish cakes! I still make boilo in the winter. When is the next meeting?

I was in Tamaqua last week . . . and going back during the 4th of July. We spent our summers in the coal region. We used to love swimming at the Bungalow. Birch beer and cream soda were big. I bought a lot of "penny candy" in Tuscarora. (Class of '75)

[Marti]

Born in Carbondale, PA....grew up living in Honesdale, PA (Stourbridge Lion), and went to College in Scranton, PA. Moved to The Villages, 10 yrs. ago.

[scrapple]

Do you know where Seek is? That's where I grew up!!!

On 209 between Tamaqua and Coaldale!
Isn't there a Coal Crackers type of club? Or is that the NE PA club? I'd love to get together for a pot luck!

[JMEZARIC3]

Anyone from the Coal Regions of PA will love this site called Coal Speak
CoalSpeak: Dictionary of the Coal Region (http://www.coalregion.com/speak/speaka.php)
Brings back many memories of growing up in the Coal Regions.

mango : green bell pepper. To the rest of the world, a mango is a tropical fruit. In the Coal Region, a mango is a green pepper. I don't know why this is. "Run upda Ack-a-me and get me some mangoes. I'm makin' spaghetti sauce."

I did research on the coal region mango but did not find an answer.Maybe someone can help me. My mom would make a big pan of stuffed mangoes and put them on the back of the coal stove.We would eat from that pan for 2 days.No one got sick.

[JMEZARIC3]

On 209 between Tamaqua and Coaldale!
Isn't there a Coal Crackers type of club? Or is that the NE PA club? I'd love to get together for a pot luck!

The NEPA club includes the coal region and also some counties not included in the coal region.They do not have a website but do a search here (TOTV) and you will find information.I am a member .The club maybe disbanded if a new leader can not be found.I hope not.