Brenizer, also known as Breinizer, is an unincorporated community and coal town in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Brenizer | |
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  Brenizer Location within the state of Pennsylvania  Brenizer Brenizer (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 40°24′1″N 79°16′5″W / 40.40028°N 79.26806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Westmoreland |
| Elevation | 1,050 ft (320 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1170197[1] |
History
editThe town was named for the Breniser family. Peter Breniser (1790–1869) is said to have established a 500-acre (200 ha) farm on the site. The two-story brick farmhouse, which is thought to date to as early as 1811, still stands on the property.[2]
In 1906, The Latrobe Coal Company acquired the land and developed a coal mine on the property to extract coal from the Pittsburgh Seam. Company-built houses and a company store were constructed for mine employees during the period 1906 to 1933.
The earliest houses were located along Front and Poplar Streets. The original farmhouse became the mine superintendent's home. The company store, which burned in the 1970s, was on Poplar Street. Coal from the mine was transported to Gray Station in the village of Hillside and shipped to customers on the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1920 The Westmoreland Mining Company acquired and operated the mine until it closed in 1952.[3]
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Brenizer, Pennsylvania
- ^ Himler, Jeff (February 12, 2013). "Couple protects 200-year legacy of Breniser House in Derry Township". Tribune-Review. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Muller, Edward K. and Carlisle, Ronald C. "WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites". Archive.org. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 1994. Washington D.C., pp. 172-173. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
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Further reading
editWashlaski, Raymond Anthony. "BRENIZER: Brenizer Mine (Latrobe No. 2 Mine), Brenizer, Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: Another Forgotten Coal Mining Town" (2017). 20th Century Society of Western Pennsylvania. Virtual Museum of Coal Mining in Western Pennsylvania.
Gallery
edit-
Houses on Poplar St -
Former Brenizer farmhouse on Victory St. -
Houses on Front St., Chestnut Ridge in background
