Press Releases: Earth Conservancy Donates Land to Huber Breaker Society
Posted on Friday, 16 January 2004 (22:12:29) EST by admin
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EPCAMR Staff writes "Ashley, Pa � On January 16, the Huber Breaker Preservation Society (HBPS) took a significant step in bringing to life the abundant heritage of the Huber Breaker, when the Earth Conservancy deeded 3 acres of abandoned mine land to the Society for the future home of the Huber Breaker Park. The Huber Breaker Society, EPCAMR, the Luzerne Conservation District, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and the Earth Conservancy have worked in partnership with residents, civic groups and elected officials to make this transition a reality.
�The mission of the Earth Conservancy is not only to reclaim the mine-scarred lands of Luzerne County but, when possible, to help those groups that want to reclaim the history of the area,� said Michael A. Dziak, president and CEO of the Earth Conservancy. �By donating this land to the Huber Breaker Preservation Society we are helping the Huber group take that first important step.�
�The Huber Breaker Preservation Society has worked tirelessly to get to this point where we can begin the process of calling attention to the important heritage this site holds for all residents of this area,� said Dr. Anthony J. Mussari, president of the HBPS Board of Directors.
�The ideas that have been generated for preserving our history can now begin the long process of becoming a reality. Much work is yet needed to bring the museum to life and we welcome and encourage continued support by all those interested in the mining history we share.�
Considered at the time of its construction in 1938 and �39 to be one of the most technologically advanced breakers in the country, Huber employed 6,000 men and boys at its peak and processed more than 7,000 tons of coal per day. The 65-year-old site is eligible for National Register of Historic Places status. The 3 acre site being turned over to the HBPS will become a park overlooking the Huber Breaker. Eventual plans include interpretive signage that was conceptually designed by the Luzerne Conservation District's District Manager, Walt Chamberlain,and a museum highlighting the influential coal-mining history of the area and the restoration of the breaker itself.
EPCAMR has provided funding over the last few years to the Huber Breaker Preservation Society to produce full-color brochures about the Breaker to increase their publicity and outreach efforts as well as a way to increase their general membership in the organization. EPCAMR also provided $3000 to the HBPS to reclaim a major portion of the 3 acres that was deeded to them by the EC that will eventually become the Park and Recreation Area in front of the Breaker.
�As a site eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places register, it is important that each of us do what we can to help this project succeed,� said Rhea Simms, chairperson of the Earth Conservancy Board of Directors and president of Lewith & Freeman Real Estate, Inc. �It is essential for groups such as the Earth Conservancy and the Huber Breaker Preservation Society to work together in preserving our area�s heritage.�
While the EC mission focuses efforts on reclaiming mine-scarred lands, it also seeks to assist in the preservation of historically significant components of our local heritage when possible. Preservation and restoration of the Huber Breaker is one such project warranting inclusion in the area�s heritage inventory. Donating the land to the Society will help the group to realize its goal of preserving the Breaker and promoting its importance both locally and in the larger context of our regional and national heritage.
The Huber Breaker, a steel and glass structure built by the Blue Coal Corporation to process anthracite, is perhaps one of the most prominent structures in the Wyoming Valley today. Located in Ashley, Luzerne County, it is one of only three remaining coal breakers of its size and type in Pennsylvania. Its vast size makes it is visible for miles, particularly from Interstate 81, bearing testament to the Wyoming Valley�s mining heritage.
The largest breaker of its kind, it was built to process anthracite from several local collieries, and used the then-most modern Menzies Cones to separate coal from the waste by-products like culm and silt. The Huber Breaker incorporated technological advancements as well as past architectural milestones that made it useful well beyond the demise of deep mining in our area. This testament of longevity is precisely why the Huber is one of the last remaining coal breakers of that bygone era.
The Huber Breaker�s construction was also practical, incorporating the use of numerous large, paned windows in order to capitalize on natural daylight to illuminate the building interior and the tar-coated sheet metal to protect the breaker from the elements. This rust proofing is cited in architectural tests as the reason the building remains structurally sound, making it a candidate for restoration. However, since it�s final closing in 1976, the Huber Breaker has endured the ravages of time. Weather and vandalism have threatened its very existence.
The cause to save the Huber Breaker began in the early 1990's, and the present Huber Breaker Preservation Society (HBPS) has established itself as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, elected a nine-person Board of Directors and enjoys a growing active membership.
�Everybody knows someone who is in some way related to this breaker or the mining industry of this area,� Mussari said. �That is why preserving it is so important, and why people should participate in reclaiming our shared history.� The breaker is known to all who live in the area, and it has garnered much citizen support since the formation of the HBPS and its efforts to begin restoration of the site.
The cost to fully restore the breaker and transform it into a working museum will cost millions of dollars. This land transfer is the first step in that process.
Check out EC and HBPS.
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