Heritage group puts Mine 40 overlook site up for sale

Mar. 25—WINDBER, Pa. — A Mine 40 hillside overlook was built decades ago as part of a broader plan to give visitors a glimpse of the Windber area's coal-mining heritage.

Now, long after those plans were abandoned, the Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation is putting the property up for sale.

The years "have taken a toll, and we simply cannot afford to repair it anymore," said Nova Irons, the Eureka group's secretary and treasurer.

The 1.46-acre property, located at the intersection of Main Street and Richland Avenue in Scalp Level, features a landscaped overlook site with a view of Mine 40 and its surroundings.

It also includes a lamppost and a flagpole, as well as a walkway and surrounding woods. A parking area lit by streetlights sits between the overlook area and Main Street.

The overlook features three interpretive signs, describing Mine 40's development and what life was like in the coal town a century ago. But years of winter weather have washed away most of the print, and the plastic surfaces are covered with cracks.

The Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation, which has a mission of preserving the Windber area's mining heritage, invested in the site's upkeep for years, "but COVID really did a number on us," Irons said.

The nonprofit group's main fundraiser, Windber's Miners' Memorial Day Weekend festival, was halted for two years due to pandemic-related complications before it returned in 2022.

Irons estimated that it costs more than $40 a month to illuminate the overlook area, plus other maintenance and insurance costs.

Every dollar adds up, given the foundation's other ongoing expenses at locations including the Arcadia Theatre and the Windber Borough clock tower, Irons said. The group has also looked after the memorial wall at Windber's Miners' Park over the years.

"The overlook ... is a nice little nook, but we just can't afford to repair it, and there's really nothing to see down there anymore," she said.

Irons and former Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation board president Matt Scislowicz said that the overlook was first designed at a time when a mine was still active in the valley below. Berwind Corp. donated the land, The Tribune-Democrat archives show.

As part of a larger project, plans were envisioned to add a working company store, and even trolley transportation through the mining corridor. But those elements of the project never came to fruition.

Except for a bony pile, reminders of the once-active Eureka Mine are now long gone, with shrubs and trees now overgrowing the site, Scislowicz said.

"Unless you are old enough to remember what it was like back then, you won't know if you go to the overlook, because so much has changed," he said. "I don't blame (the Eureka board) at all for putting it up for sale, because costs add up."

Irons said offers are currently being accepted. An ad placed in The Tribune-Democrat over the past week shows the starting price is $25,000 minimum for the entire property.

Irons said the site could be used for pole buildings, sheds or other storage.

A deadline to submit bids, which are being directed to the office of attorney Russell J. Heiple at 142 Gazebo Park, Johns-town, was set for 4 p.m. Monday, with a non-refundable 5% deposit required.

Irons said planning is underway for this year's Miners' Memorial Day Weekend. It's scheduled for Father's Day weekend, June 13 through 16.

"We have the bands booked and all of the usual festival plans," she said.

But the Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation is still looking to recruit additional volunteers so the event can run smoothly, she said. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the group at 814-244-7772.