Mammoth, Pennsylvania

Last updated

Mammoth, Pennsylvania
CDP
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Westmoreland
Area
[1]
 • Total2.02 sq mi (5.24 km2)
 • Land2.02 sq mi (5.24 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population
 (2020) [2]
 • Total526
 • Density260.14/sq mi (100.45/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code 42-46800

Mammoth is a census-designated place [3] that is located in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County in the state of Pennsylvania, United States, with its own post office and postal zip code: 15664.

Contents

The community is located just off Pennsylvania Route 982 and is part of the Mount Pleasant Area School District.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, [4] the population was 525 residents.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020 526—
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

Local Attractions

Mammoth is home to Mammoth Park, a 408-acre park that features a stocked freshwater lake, recreational areas, several playgrounds, and pavilions. [6] The park is home to the Giant Slide Complex, a pair of 100-foot long slides perched on a climbable rock wall. The complex has been embroiled in lawsuits every year, but remains open as of 2024. [7] In the spring, the annual Mammoth Fest festival featuring vendor booths and children's rides is held at the park. [8]

Also located in Mammoth is the Mount Pleasant Township Municipal Building. [9]

Despite its small population, Mammoth is home to several businesses, including Citizens Telephone Company of Kecksburg which first opened in 1906 to bring telephone services to the rural miners and farmers who lived in the area. [10]

Mammoth is situated in close proximity to the site of the 1965 Kecksburg UFO incident in which many local residents claimed to have witnessed an object streak across the sky and crash-land in the woods of neighboring Kecksburg, PA. The government response to the incident has led many to speculate what the object was, leading to many theories such as a UFO or Russian satellite. [11]

Mining

Known as the infamous Mammoth Mine Disaster, on January 27, 1891, an explosion tore through Mammoth No. 1 Mine owned at the time by H.C. Frick Coke Company. [12] Newspapers reported that firedamp was ignited by a miner's oil lamp, causing the explosion. [13] All 110 miners who entered that day were killed instantly. [13]

The workers killed in the mine explosion were buried in a mass grave in St. John's Cemetery in Scottdale, Pennsylvania. In 2000, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission erected a historical marker at the burial site commemorating the Mammoth Mine Explosion. [14]

The sealed-off entrance to the mine can still be seen today. [15] It is situated behind the Mount Pleasant Township Municipal Building, which once served as the former boiler house and lamp house for the mine. It is the only building from the mining operation still in existence. [16] Many of the patch homes once owned by the miners and their families are still occupied today throughout Mammoth and along Poker Road. [16]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammoth Mine disaster</span>

The Mammoth Mine disaster or Frick Mine explosion occurred on January 27, 1891 just after 9:00 AM in the Mammoth No. 1 mine in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Newspapers reported that firedamp was ignited by a miner's oil lamp, resulting in the deaths of 109 men and boys. Most of the miners were not killed by the force of the explosion, but rather were suffocated by the effects of afterdamp.

References

  1. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ Mammoth 2010 Census Information
  4. ↑ 2010 US Census
  5. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Mammoth Park | Westmoreland County, PA - Official Website". www.co.westmoreland.pa.us. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Mammoth Park Giant Slide | Westmoreland County, PA - Official Website". www.co.westmoreland.pa.us. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Mammoth Fest | Westmoreland County, PA - Official Website". www.co.westmoreland.pa.us. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Home". Mt. Pleasant Township. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Family-owned Citizens Fiber in Mt. Pleasant Township strives to be among 1st in Pennsylvania to offer gigabit internet | TribLIVE.com". archive.triblive.com. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ "The Kecksburg UFO Crash | HISTORY". play.history.com. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Mammoth Mine Explosion Historical Marker". explorepahistory.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  13. 1 2 ""Over One Hundred Killed" (PDF)" (PDF). New York Times. January 27, 1891.
  14. ↑ "Mammoth Mine Explosion Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Mammoth Mine portal to history opens in Mt. Pleasant Township | TribLIVE.com". archive.triblive.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Muller, Edward K. (1994). Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites. National Park Service. pp. 56–59.
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