Love your videos. History is fascinating. It’s reassuring though to see how quickly nature reclaims the land once used by man. I am lucky enough to live in a town on the border between England and Scotland that is home to a castle over 900 years old, a cathedral almost 900 years old and a locality filled with history. From my front window I can see the old gallows hill once the site of execution of Jacobite rebels in 1746. All around is now housing and urbanisation but a wealth of history lies beneath.
Such a sad story, but a great job telling it and sharing it with us. Thank you for all that you do my friend, this was a very interesting one. Stay safe out there
Hello. I had read about this story. How surprised I was to find your vlog. I must say. You nailed it. Good job. I will say the blast was felted up to 30 something miles away. Tks for posting and have a great day.
New subscriber here. Love your videos, the context you provide, and your own insights. It's refreshing! Cheers from the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
I've walked through there a few times, its beautiful to go through in the spring. I also believe there was a abandon old railroad bridge up that way as well so I don't know if its connected to the dynamite factory. A few people around the area told me that the area was haunted over the years.
According to an account set the time, one of the girls working in another building at the time of the explosion was named Nellie Warfel. That last name matches a couple of the stones you came across in the 300yr old cemetery. The account also described the identified man's remains : "An arm and other parts were identified as portions of the body of Frederick Rice, by his brother, who knew by a scar on the wrist that came from a cut several years ago" ~The Inquirer Lancaster June 16,1906 sites.rootsweb.com/~pacahs/dyno.htm
ProudVirginian Reading these old articles, the writers back then could really describe the event and didn’t mind painting a gory picture of the event using just words.
Great vid WW! I have also done some paranormal investigation at the Colemanville cemetery at that very spot. It was at night and I did pick up some voices. A friends Great Grandfather is also buried there and we were also doing night shot and recording there as well. Did pick up some voices there as well. Who? Who knows. A fellow told me years back that he'd done some recording nest the dynamite factory and pick up a long and loud explosion, although I never heard the recording. Thanks Much! DaveyJO
Hi from England 🇬🇧...I have just discovered your channel and find it very interesting.My interests are History ( including Natural history), horticulture,geology and geography, most of which are covered in your vids.More power to you Sir ! 🇬🇧
Based on the photograph @ 6:50, there are some landmarks that ought to help pinpoint the building's location: I'm seeing a good-sized hill not far off in the background (Doesn't look to be more than a hundred yards away)... Also, TRAIN TRACKS running along A RIDGE adjacent to the building.....
From what you say, it makes sense that back in the day that they would have to relocate as the wood in the floors would absorb material and become explosives themselves. I talked to some folks years back who basically were a multiagency bomb squad and I remember one of them told me about a time someone found some old dynamite that someone had stored on the porch of a old house. It got old and started sweating/leaking and after they removed the explosives, they took a chainsaw to the floor and cut out and removed the floor that had become affected and now was as explosive as the old dynamite was. Not a good way to store that type of explosive. That's why two part explosives have become widely used, they're a lot more stable and safer than dynamite, until mixed.
I mentioned in a comment below that my great great uncle was Ernest Turner, who was one of the 10 men in the common grave. Some accounts say he was on a cart driving away from the factory when it blew. He's listed as 35 on some websites, but as you can see on the gravestone, he was born in 1884- so he was 21 years old, a few months shy of his 22nd birthday.
Celan I hope you saw the more recent comment where the poster shared a link that gives you the original news story. That news story also lists your 2X uncle as being 30 something. So the incorrect info started clear back then.
@@coldblue9mm Ah that is probably the original source of the misinformation. I guess it would be an easy thing to mix up given the fact that there were no remains. :/ I would doubt my own information except I have Ernest Turner's death certificate which lists the dynamite explosion as cause of death.
@@celan4288 Heck of a way to go. And too young. I do genealogy and it's amazing what you can access on different sites. That article makes it sound like your gg uncle might have been fairly new to the area which might have helped mislead whoever wrote that article. That is a good account of the accident, with the exception of your gg uncles age.
@@coldblue9mm Yes, we're from McKean County. He was born in Bullis Mills which was a lumber town near the NY border on the Pittsburgh, Shawmut and Northern railroad line that ran from NY state to Brockway, PA. This particular factory was owned by McAbee Powder and Oil in Pittsburgh on behalf of H.S. Kerbaugh builders who were laying the Enola Low Grade RR. There are a number of stories of dynamite and later nitroglycerin explosions from our area, too. Near Bullis Mills was the Eldred powder factory that had several explosions- maybe Uncle Ernest got started there, or he was recruited by the PS&N or an oil company.
@@coldblue9mm As an aside, Bullis Mills railroad line can be seen in the Denzel Washington movie "Unstoppable." Sorry, I'm unstoppable when I get started on this history stuff. lol
In the shell house six young girls were at work: Flora Frank, Daisy Shoff, Nellie Warfel, Edna Rice, Esther Greiner and Edith Rineer, the last named being a sister of the two Rineers killed. Two little sisters of hers were also present, having brought dinner for their father, brothers and sister. All of the girls were knocked over, and many suffered from some time from the shock.
If the 11th man's wrist was identified by a birthmark by members of his family, he is probably buried near family. Uou would need to discover his name, perhaps in church records or a newspaper article of the time, and then find out if the church or the cemetery has a burial plot map. That is how you will find his grave.
I did some genealogy research for a cousin whose paternal ancestors were killed in this explosion. Two of them died but their father who was working there too, survived. Their names are on the memorial at Colemanville Cemetery along with lots of other Rinier/Rineer family.
I caught most of the names, I think (barely). Age year was hard to read; but most looked to be 19 to 22, and early 20s. One may have been 17. Very young... Phares R. Shoff Wm. S. Funk Joseph & Benj. E. Rineer (father/son, or brothers ?) Collin W. Parker Ernest S. Turner John C. Myers Gust. A. Hathaway Edw. D. Holmes John W. Boatman And the one named Frederick Rice, buried alone.
It's quite possible that the single burial was put with his family in their plot at this church? I know some of the members, and could ask if you're interested.
Not until Rapture: "First, He will come for believers, both living and dead, in the “rapture” (read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). In this view, the rapture-which is the transformation and catching up of all Christians, dead or alive, to meet Christ in the air-will be secret, for it will be unknown to the world of unbelievers at the time of its happening."billygraham.org/answer/what-is-the-rapture/
The Dead June 16, 1906 Phares Shoff of Colemanville, aged 18 years Benjamin Rineer of Colemanville, aged 23 years Joseph Rineer of Colemanville, aged 19 years William Funk of Colemanville, aged 18 years W. Collins Parker of York Furnace, aged 16 years Fred Rice, residing near Colemanville, aged 25 years John Boatman of Pequea, aged 17 years J. Curtis Myers of York, aged 38 years Ernest Turner, Boyd Mills, Wayne County, aged 35 years. George Hathaway of Emporium, Pa. aged 19 years. Edward Holmes of Buffalo, N.Y., aged 27 years. THE INJURED Martin Rineer of Colemanville, father of the dead boys of the same name, right arm broken and badly cut and bruised. John Gephart of near Colemanville, struck by a rock in the breast and cut around the head. Henry Boatman, Benjamin Johnson, Charles Creamer, Abraham Schwartz, Jacob Shoff and Walter Bewets were more or less cut and bruised, but they were not seriously injured.
Bless Them i guess some were Irish well done I Love America why? kicked england Out Good Now they hv brexit oh oh i wonder how d Poor ate doing there is q____n feeding them oh probably not
Who cares about their supposed nationality? 11 men tragically lost their lives and that should be enough. We all go into the same earth when we pass on.
![Legends of Lancaster: The Gruesome 1906 Dynamite Explosion [video]](/img/n.gif)
Your nailing this channel. When you say lets go see something "together" I feel like I'm really exploring with you. Pretty awesome.
Love your videos. History is fascinating. It’s reassuring though to see how quickly nature reclaims the land once used by man. I am lucky enough to live in a town on the border between England and Scotland that is home to a castle over 900 years old, a cathedral almost 900 years old and a locality filled with history. From my front window I can see the old gallows hill once the site of execution of Jacobite rebels in 1746. All around is now housing and urbanisation but a wealth of history lies beneath.
Such a sad story, but a great job telling it and sharing it with us.
Thank you for all that you do my friend, this was a very interesting one. Stay safe out there
I agree, I haven't been able to go to places like this, so that is great to see old historical places such as this one.
Thank you so much for the history! And the video regarding it!!
Hello. I had read about this story. How surprised I was to find your
vlog. I must say. You nailed it. Good job. I will say the blast was felted up to 30 something
miles away. Tks for posting and have a great day.
felted?
New subscriber here. Love your videos, the context you provide, and your own insights. It's refreshing! Cheers from the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
Definitely a really sad story.. thanks for sharing it with us!
Love your videos, already subbed! 😊😊
Another really interesting adventure ! Thanks for the photos of factory -- they really put it in context.
I've walked through there a few times, its beautiful to go through in the spring. I also believe there was a abandon old railroad bridge up that way as well so I don't know if its connected to the dynamite factory. A few people around the area told me that the area was haunted over the years.
Just walking around will help you find the things you are looking for . Love the area in the woods & the grave site . Thank you for taking us along .
According to an account set the time, one of the girls working in another building at the time of the explosion was named Nellie Warfel. That last name matches a couple of the stones you came across in the 300yr old cemetery.
The account also described the identified man's remains :
"An arm and other parts were identified as portions of the body of Frederick Rice, by his brother, who knew by a scar on the wrist that came from a cut several years ago" ~The Inquirer Lancaster June 16,1906
sites.rootsweb.com/~pacahs/dyno.htm
ProudVirginian Reading these old articles, the writers back then could really describe the event and didn’t mind painting a gory picture of the event using just words.
Great stuff. I do history on my channel to. You can’t beat, going out to the sight and looking it over. Your very good at explaining things.
Great video. Super glad I found your channel.
Fredrick Rice was the man who's scared wrist was identified by his brother
😵😵😵😵😵
Awesome video as always thanks!!!
Great vid WW! I have also done some paranormal investigation at the Colemanville cemetery at that very spot. It was at night and I did pick up some voices. A friends Great Grandfather is also buried there and we were also doing night shot and recording there as well. Did pick up some voices there as well. Who? Who knows. A fellow told me years back that he'd done some recording nest the dynamite factory and pick up a long and loud explosion, although I never heard the recording. Thanks Much! DaveyJO
Hi from England 🇬🇧...I have just discovered your channel and find it very interesting.My interests are History ( including Natural history), horticulture,geology and geography, most of which are covered in your vids.More power to you Sir ! 🇬🇧
Great tour through you and your camera. Thanks!
Great video! Love historical stuff!
Based on the photograph @ 6:50, there are some landmarks that ought to help pinpoint the building's location: I'm seeing a good-sized hill not far off in the background (Doesn't look to be more than a hundred yards away)... Also, TRAIN TRACKS running along A RIDGE adjacent to the building.....
Thank you for detailing why the dynamite factory was there Sir.
It's cool whenever you find a big tree growing out of an old house foundation!
???
Thanks for sharing, nice to learn about history
There's a place called The Powder hole in wapwallopen that had a big explosion
I've hear of it, might go someday
Thanks love your videos and you :)
I miss my mom and dad.I want to be with them to love them and be at peace.Tony
The only good thing about this tragedy is that those 11 men likely never knew what hit them.
From what you say, it makes sense that back in the day that they would have to relocate as the wood in the floors would absorb material and become explosives themselves. I talked to some folks years back who basically were a multiagency bomb squad and I remember one of them told me about a time someone found some old dynamite that someone had stored on the porch of a old house. It got old and started sweating/leaking and after they removed the explosives, they took a chainsaw to the floor and cut out and removed the floor that had become affected and now was as explosive as the old dynamite was. Not a good way to store that type of explosive. That's why two part explosives have become widely used, they're a lot more stable and safer than dynamite, until mixed.
Interesting history. Thanks
That had to be horrible for the family members of the men that worked there. I'm sure when they heard the explosion, they knew exactly what happened.
Simply amazing bro as always😊💥dynamite factory💥
bro?
I believe it was maybe the small marker beside the big tombstone
I mentioned in a comment below that my great great uncle was Ernest Turner, who was one of the 10 men in the common grave. Some accounts say he was on a cart driving away from the factory when it blew. He's listed as 35 on some websites, but as you can see on the gravestone, he was born in 1884- so he was 21 years old, a few months shy of his 22nd birthday.
Celan I hope you saw the more recent comment where the poster shared a link that gives you the original news story. That news story also lists your 2X uncle as being 30 something. So the incorrect info started clear back then.
@@coldblue9mm Ah that is probably the original source of the misinformation. I guess it would be an easy thing to mix up given the fact that there were no remains. :/ I would doubt my own information except I have Ernest Turner's death certificate which lists the dynamite explosion as cause of death.
@@celan4288 Heck of a way to go. And too young. I do genealogy and it's amazing what you can access on different sites. That article makes it sound like your gg uncle might have been fairly new to the area which might have helped mislead whoever wrote that article. That is a good account of the accident, with the exception of your gg uncles age.
@@coldblue9mm Yes, we're from McKean County. He was born in Bullis Mills which was a lumber town near the NY border on the Pittsburgh, Shawmut and Northern railroad line that ran from NY state to Brockway, PA. This particular factory was owned by McAbee Powder and Oil in Pittsburgh on behalf of H.S. Kerbaugh builders who were laying the Enola Low Grade RR. There are a number of stories of dynamite and later nitroglycerin explosions from our area, too. Near Bullis Mills was the Eldred powder factory that had several explosions- maybe Uncle Ernest got started there, or he was recruited by the PS&N or an oil company.
@@coldblue9mm As an aside, Bullis Mills railroad line can be seen in the Denzel Washington movie "Unstoppable." Sorry, I'm unstoppable when I get started on this history stuff. lol
What a beautiful deciduous forest is this!!!!!!!!
Sad about the men. Beautiful place now thou. Thanks for the history!
THANK YOU !
That is a beautiful hike!
Lot of my relatives settled in Paris, then wandered to NC and SC
???
In the shell house six young girls were at work: Flora Frank, Daisy Shoff, Nellie Warfel, Edna Rice, Esther Greiner and Edith Rineer, the last named being a sister of the two Rineers killed. Two little sisters of hers were also present, having brought dinner for their father, brothers and sister. All of the girls were knocked over, and many suffered from some time from the shock.
If the 11th man's wrist was identified by a birthmark by members of his family, he is probably buried near family. Uou would need to discover his name, perhaps in church records or a newspaper article of the time, and then find out if the church or the cemetery has a burial plot map. That is how you will find his grave.
yo - WW. ANOTHER INTERESTING VID. THANKS.
Lovely woods. Sad story. Interesting history.
Good job, thanks.
Need to get a metal detector and start looking around with that thing. I bet you would find some amazing things in those woods.
It's a reserve.... no digging
Relax
You should try using topographic maps. Trails, cemeteries, ruins, etc all show up.
Hi, thank you for sharing this incredibly sad piece of history, it looks so peaceful there now, thank you. x
same thing happened on route 502 in moosic PA way back
I did some genealogy research for a cousin whose paternal ancestors were killed in this explosion. Two of them died but their father who was working there too, survived. Their names are on the memorial at Colemanville Cemetery along with lots of other Rinier/Rineer family.
Great video...really sad.
My home state.I miss it.
"its interesting when die give us dirty laundry" thanks for the tour.
Looks like you had a blast!
A dynamite factory blew up in Oakdale , Pa that killed 193 about the same time
Your videos are unique
here is a bit of proof that the earth can recover on its own just fine.....so lush and green now.
Interesting, but sad story.
I'm a new fan!
10:38 you were right, it is haunted that camera blurred
you remind me of someone,, the way u talk and even your looks😇
Would it be in front of the sign?
Very interesting cannot forget these people
What camera do you use I love how sharp the video is?
Canon SX60
Is that an old pipe in the background over your shoulder at around 6:22 ? Or is it just a drain pipe for part of one of the trails?
could be...
This is such a sad story.
What did the sign on the tree at 5:52 say?
No loitering
Go back in October for Halloween spooky time
Whens the next meet up had lots of fun
Not sure yet
Peculiar no mention of it in wikipedia under List of industrial disasters or anywhere else! How did you find out about it? Liked
My own research and help from a viewer
It's part of local history here in Lancaster County.
J'aime vos video mais dommage je ne comprend pas. Dommage qui a pas de sous titre en français. Très belle vidéo 👍
The foundation you found was built after the explosion - no name ?
Where would he find a name in that overgrowth and rocks?
The hand gravestone is marked "Thing".
ROTFL I get it! Sad to say others didn’t.
Those old dynamite sticks if not stored properly would sercreat nitroglycerin and blow very easily.
@David Haun WOW! good yet sad story. But what is "gun cotton"?
Could you read the names of all the people who died that day. It would been very nice of you.
I caught most of the names, I think (barely). Age year was hard to read; but most looked to be 19 to 22, and early 20s. One may have been 17. Very young...
Phares R. Shoff
Wm. S. Funk
Joseph & Benj. E. Rineer (father/son, or brothers ?)
Collin W. Parker
Ernest S. Turner
John C. Myers
Gust. A. Hathaway
Edw. D. Holmes
John W. Boatman
And the one named Frederick Rice, buried alone.
Thank you. The Funk and the Parker could be family
So do you guys believe in a after life?
Dynamite is TNT and clay, is that valley a clay pit? 💥💣⚠
Don't think so, they needed the factory close to the RR.
Bring a metal detector?.
Dude I send you a message a few days ago! Check it out and let me know. Great video by the way.
Maybe someone farted near an open flame and that made the kablammy
So the men that died worked together in life, now they are joined together in death for eternity.
Somebody didn't go outside to smoke. Cool vid
Somebody ate Taco Bell and instead of using the outhouse , They used the toilet inside the factory ....Boom !!!
It's quite possible that the single burial was put with his family in their plot at this church? I know some of the members, and could ask if you're interested.
💥💥💥💨💨💨🔥🔥🔥🔥😮😮😲😵🙏🙏
bumber
one of my favorite places
rumor has it its haunted down there... lol
The spirit goes back to God.. Ecclesiastes 12:7
Not until Rapture:
"First, He will come for believers, both living and dead, in the “rapture” (read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). In this view, the rapture-which is the transformation and catching up of all Christians, dead or alive, to meet Christ in the air-will be secret, for it will be unknown to the world of unbelievers at the time of its happening."billygraham.org/answer/what-is-the-rapture/
@@benkantor2052 Do you think God is a liar???? Also in Revelation, angels are putting the seal of God on their forheads so they will not be hurt.
The Dead
June 16, 1906
Phares Shoff of Colemanville, aged 18 years
Benjamin Rineer of Colemanville, aged 23 years
Joseph Rineer of Colemanville, aged 19 years
William Funk of Colemanville, aged 18 years
W. Collins Parker of York Furnace, aged 16 years
Fred Rice, residing near Colemanville, aged 25 years
John Boatman of Pequea, aged 17 years
J. Curtis Myers of York, aged 38 years
Ernest Turner, Boyd Mills, Wayne County, aged 35 years.
George Hathaway of Emporium, Pa. aged 19 years.
Edward Holmes of Buffalo, N.Y., aged 27 years.
THE INJURED
Martin Rineer of Colemanville, father of the dead boys of the same name, right arm broken and badly cut and bruised.
John Gephart of near Colemanville, struck by a rock in the breast and cut around the head.
Henry Boatman, Benjamin Johnson, Charles Creamer, Abraham Schwartz, Jacob Shoff and Walter Bewets were more or less cut and bruised, but they were not seriously injured.
"Factory" out there? It's in the middle of nowhere.
It’s a dynamite factory. Do you expect it to be near residences?
For the love of Mike,just go!! Find the dynamite factory!! Quit talking about doing it and go!!!!
Relax
Bless Them i guess some were Irish well done I Love America why? kicked england Out Good Now they hv brexit oh oh i wonder how d Poor ate doing there is q____n feeding them oh probably not
Who cares about their supposed nationality? 11 men tragically lost their lives and that should be enough. We all go into the same earth when we pass on.
You need a girl or woman to go with you. She would hold the camera and be a good source of comments!
Start your own TH-cam channel and do just that.
you remind me of someone,, the way u talk and even your looks😇
🤡