The Logans Ferry Mine Tunnel consists of a pair of abandoned coal tunnels under the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

between

Plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

and Springdale,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

In 1919,

West Penn Power Allegheny Energy was an electric utility headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It owned and operated electric generation facilities and delivered electric services to customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. Allegh ...

acquired the land to build a power facility in Springdale, but did not have an adequate coal source. As a result, they leased coal-rich land on the opposite shore of the river. To simplify transport issues, the decision was made to build the mine tunnel, which opened in 1921. By the 1940s, the mine's resources started to be depleted and West Penn, which had constructed the neighborhood of Logan Heights (which today looks unlike most of the 1960s-or-later suburban stock that dominates Plum), transformed from being a company town to a community of homeowners. In 1954, the mine transferred most of its operations east to Upper Burrell (the former mine site remains a somewhat rural bluff in the midst of suburbia), but continued to use the tunnel. However, in 1968, the mine was closed permanently, and the tunnels are presumed to be currently flooded.

References

{{Pittsburgh Metro Area Tunnels in Pennsylvania Tunnels completed in 1921 FirstEnergy Crossings of the Allegheny River Tunnels in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Mining in Pennsylvania Coal mining in the United States 1921 establishments in Pennsylvania