This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Tragic Orient 2 Mine Disaster Remembered in West Frankfort
In December 1951 the Orient 2 mine explosion near West Frankfort Illinois killed 119. Jack Summers a survivor recalls a two hour escape and the town's Christmas Eve sorrow. Residents recount funerals, morgues, and the enduring impact on families and the local coal industry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Orient
Jack Summers
West Frankfort
Summers
L. Goebel Patton
Redbirds
Marion
Patton
Jack McReynolds
McReynolds
Sylvia Tharp
Lola Tharp
Rend Lake
Roy Beaty
Orient 2
Beaty
Tharp
Curtis Gunter
Harry
Tater” Gunter
West City
Gunter
Washington School
Franklin County
Illinois
Steve Jahnke
Christopher
Orient No. 2