David House Heritage Museum Coal Car Restored to Its Former Glory

SNOW SHOE — The coal car on display at the David House Heritage Museum, a nonprofit that, according to its website, hosts the Mountaintop area’s only public heritage collection, recently got an upgrade.

Jerry Hefferan, president of the Snow Shoe Lions Club and a former miner, restored the coal car to its former glory. The restoration project was made possible due to the support of the Lions Club and Rosebud Mining Company in Kittanning, which donated wood, hardware and paint for the project.

The coal car was donated in 1996 by William Swancer for the opening of the museum. Swancer had used the car in his mines in Clarence.

“During the peak of Pennsylvania coal mining, tens of thousands (of coal cars) were in use. However, most were sold for scrap when the coal industry’s hand-loading era ended by the late 1950s,” Hefferan explained, noting the significance of the remaining coal car.

“It was a pleasure to reconstruct this car. I’ve done several over the years. The bottom of this car now features salt-cured oak, while the remainder is larch wood. The restoration ensures this car will be around for a long, long time.”

The restoration project has been in consideration for years, Zach Chambers, David House president noted.

“The board explored several options to restore the cart over the years, all of which proved unsuccessful. When Jerry and the Lions Club volunteered, we were thrilled. We can’t thank Jerry enough for his work to save this slice of the Mountaintop’s coal mining history.”

For more information on the David House Heritage Museum, visit david-house-museum.org.