ARCHBALD — Work to modernize a century-old oil storage building is underway as a nonprofit group seeks additional community input on how to repurpose two other mining relics at the former Gravity Slope Colliery.
The Gravity Slope oil house looked like a construction zone Friday as crews from Stafursky Paving Co., Archbald’s general contractor for the project, work to restore the mine relic just off Laurel Street by making the area wheelchair accessible and building an addition with bathrooms, among other upgrades. Just behind the oil house, tucked away in the woods along Laurel Street, a former “shifting shanty” where miners changed into and out of their coal-blackened clothes and a fan house containing a large fan that circulated air into the mines remain untouched — and the nonprofit Valley in Motion wants ideas about what to do with the buildings.
The former Gravity Slope Colliery’s shifting shanty near Laurel Street in Archbald on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
The former Gravity Slope Colliery’s fan house near Laurel Street in Archbald on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
The former Gravity Slope Colliery’s fan house near Laurel Street in Archbald on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
A modernization project is underway at the former Gravity Slope Colliery’s oil house off Laurel Street in Archbald on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
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The former Gravity Slope Colliery’s shifting shanty near Laurel Street in Archbald on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
Valley in Motion, in partnership with the Archbald Borough Colliery Committee, Archbald Neighborhood Association and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, will hold an interactive community meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers at Archbald’s Borough Building, 400 Church St. During the meeting, community members will develop concept plans for adaptive reuse of the shifting shanty and fan house, following up on ideas generated from a previous community meeting Aug. 14, according to a news release from the organization.
Built in 1913, the Gravity Slope Colliery operated until 1955, when the Delaware and Hudson Coal Co. closed it due to excessive mine flooding, according to an Archbald Borough Historical Society infographic.
With the help of a $235,000 Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant, Archbald moved forward with a project to modernize the oil house in the spring, borough Manager Dan Markey said. Although the borough had to scale back a couple of items due to funding, such as a new roof, ongoing work includes hooking up the oil house with electricity, putting in an epoxy floor, building an addition with restrooms and adding a parking area, Markey said. The addition replaces a concrete pad that had been a loading area for the oil house.
A parking area behind the former Gravity Slope Colliery’s oil house near Laurel Street in Archbald on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY / STAFF PHOTO)
The project also makes the site wheelchair accessible with an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp into the oil house, as well as ADA ramps connecting the sidewalk on Laurel Street to the oil house and connecting the oil house to the parking lot, Markey said.
Although nothing is set in stone, a few people have approached the borough about putting a coffee shop in the oil house, Markey said, calling a coffee shop a recurring idea.
“It’s shaping up nicely,” he said. “No matter what it turns out to be, it’s going to be an asset for the borough.”
He anticipates work on the oil house will conclude by late fall or early winter.
The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority also received grant funding to build a shed for adaptive bikes, Markey said. The LHVA gave the borough an easement for the parking lot, with the borough and authority previously discussing storing the adaptive hand cycles and recumbent bikes in one of the colliery buildings.
Gus Fahey, the president of Valley in Motion, said the first community input session in August was terrific, with residents doing model-building exercises.
“People really took to that … and were able to use their imagination and were able to describe times of their childhood when they really felt connected and part of the community,” he said. “There were a number of really good ideas that are worth exploring in this second session.”
For example, people especially thought there was a real need for an event space in the area, Fahey said, commending the idea of repurposing a historical building for events.
The Archbald Borough Historical Society also needs another space, which would be a way to connect the history of the site with the needs of the community, he said. Others talked about having a play area or place for pets outside on the site, Fahey said.
They also heard from neighbors who were concerned about safety and maintenance issues on the trail, Fahey said.
“That is also part of an important part of the conversation — that as we add new amenities to take advantage of the trail, we have to keep in mind those that are most affected by those amenities,” Fahey said.
Valley in Motion is also using a $74,000 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Partnership Grant toward the colliery project, as well as projects in Carbondale and Forest City, he said.
“It’s one of those things that really improves the quality of life for residents,” Fahey said.
Monday Update
Then: Archbald began renovations on the Gravity Slope Colliery in the spring, followed by hosting a community input session in August for two other mine relics.
Now: Work is underway modernizing an oil house on the property, including making the site wheelchair accessible, with a second community input session scheduled for Wednesday.
Originally Published: October 27, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT