Harrison Coal & Reclamation Park

 

The Harrison Coal & Reclamation Park was founded and established in 1992 for purpose of forming an organization with the major goal of saving and acquiring the Silver Spade when its working days are over for good.

The HCRP currently maintain a museum, consisting of items related to strip mining. The contents include:

 

1. KOMATSU 355 DOZER BLADE - Manufactured in the 1970's 0r 80'; used for moving dirt. Weight approx. 5 tons. This piece was donated by the late Tony Puskarich. This blade has a Surface mining painting, painted on its front face. It was painted by Lakeland High School (Freeport, Ohio) Art Class students back in 1997. It has Consol' s three largest shovels the Silver Spade, The GEM, and the Mountaineer in there original colors.

2. EUCLID DOZER BLADE - Manufactured in the 1950's, also used for moving dirt. This weighs 3 tons and was given by the late Tony Puskarich.

3. MOBILE WELDER - This gasoline powered welding machine and others like it, were used in the field to make repairs on equipment. W.B. Coal Co. has donated this piece.

4. 60 TON DART BOTTOM DUMP - Manufactured by the Dart Co. in the late 1950's. This was the largest hauler at the time it was manufactured. With its 60 ton capacity, it hauled coal from the mining area, to the tipple, where the coal was 0ff-loaded (some processed, some left raw) and loaded into railroad cars, Boich Mining Pres. Abe Bryan, donated this.

5. EUCLID 16 TON TRUCK - The "Samuri", fondly referred to by its owner, Robert Stewart, was purchased by him, Consolidation Coal Co. This type of truck was used to haul coal from the pit to the tipple and later, to haul "gob" (coal waste) from the tipple back to the pit.

6. TRAXCAVATOR - FRONT END LOADER - Manufactured by Caterpillar, No. 977, weighs approx. 15 tons. This machine used "street" or smooth tracks and its job was to load coal into the trucks. It was later used in reclamation. John Tabacchi, donated this.

7. S-18 EUCLID SCRAPER (PAN) - - This machine was manufactured in 1975 and weighs approx. 22 tons. The pan holds 18 cubic tons of dirt, was used to remove topsoil, store it, and later put it back in the reclamation process. The late Tony Puskarich is the donator.

8. D-7 CABLE BLADE DOZER - Manufactured by Caterpillar Co. in the early 1970's, and weighing approx. 16 tons, this dozer was purchased form Consol by Cravat Coal Co. It was used to clean up around the shovels and to remove overburden, (dirt covering the coal seam). This piece, courtesy of Cravat Coal Co.

9. 8280 EUCLID DOZER - This was a very versatile piece of equipment. It was manufactured in early 1968, weighs 73,000 pounds or 36 tons, and was the biggest dozer at that time. With its 2 diesel fuel engines, it was the most powerful of the Euclid Terex dozers, producing 476 horsepower. The late Warren Moore has loaned this for display. The family of Warren Moore has since donated this machine. It was used in surface mining and reclamation and had 3 blades, a u blade, a straight, and a slanted blades.

10. HANSON 3/8 CUBIC YARD SHOVEL - Model 31, serial no. 2099, manufactured in 1947 by the Hanson Clutch and Machinery Co. Tiffin, Ohio. The Hanson shovels were the first full-revolving shovels manufactured in the USA. It weighs 11 tons, was donated by the late Ed Seleski, and removed overburden from coal seams.

11. SHOVEL BUCKET AND STICK - from the "Buckeye Clipper" model, made in the 1950's by Buckeye Clipper Co of Ohio. This type of shovel removed overlay of not more than 30 ft in depth, and was used in clean up and loading. Courtesy of the late Tony Puskarich.

12. DEEP MINE CAR - From the "Bill Able Mine" of New Athens, Ohio. This car was built in and around 1920. and is an example of the old hand loaded underground mine cars. It weighs 600 lbs and is filled with no. 8 stoker coal, the same grade of coal surface mined under the HCRP site in the 1960's. Donated by the late Tony Puskarich. You can take a sample home.

13. ROTARY BLASTHOLE DRILL - Made by the Gardner-Denver Co. Quincy, IL in the 1960's. The purpose of drills was to make deep holes into which explosives could be dropped, blasting the overburden away, to get to the coal seam. This drill weighs 10 tons and could drill down 150 to 200 feet. The cutting end was in the shape of a cross. Cravat Coal Co donated this piece.

14. BELCO "SPUDDER' DRILL - Manufactured in the 1930's by Bucyrus-Erie. It used a 4ft long weight, with a steel bit attached on the end of a cable, and repeatedly dropped into the dirt like a jack hammer, pulverizing the material. Water was used in the operation to raise and float the cut material to the surface. This machine was also used to drill water wells. Cravat Coal Co donated this machine.

15. and 16. COAL POPPER DRILLS - Two coal popper drills, donated by the family of the late Tony Puskarich, President of Cravat Coal Company, Cadiz, Ohio, and V-President and one of the organizers of the Harrison Coal and Reclamation Park. One drill is a S.A. Hardsog product, and the make of the other is unknown. These drills were made in the late 1920's or early 1930's to drill our core samples and blast holes.

17. PORTABLE AIR COMPRESSOR - Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. portable air compressor, donated by Mrs. Lois Puskarich, in memory of Tony Puskarich. The compressor was built in the early 1950's and was used in the field to power air tools and repair equipment.

18. HORIZONTAL HIGHWALL AUGER - Salem Tool Co. horizontal highwall auger, donated by Lee Conway of Bennoc Coal Co. Built in Salem, Ohio in the early 1940's and mounted on a 1942 GMC Army 6x6 truck. This type of auger was used to drill blastholes into the highwall above the coal seam.

19. ROCK SAW - Barber-Greene rock saw, with a Buda engine.

20. CONCRETE MIXER - Concrete mixer powered by a Hercules engine.

21. TRENCHER - No information available yet on this machine.

22. BLASTING MAGAZINE - Heavy steel blasting magazine with wood lining.

23. CHAIN LINKS - Joint section of three chain links from the Bucyrus-Erie 4250-W walking dragline "Big Muskie". They weigh approximately 1700 pounds per link. Donated by Central Ohio Coal Company.

24. DRAG CABLE - 10 FT section of drag cable from the Bucyrus-Erie 4250-W walking dragline "Big Muskie". Donated by Mayer-Pollak Steel.