Looking back at memorable Sentinel stories

SHENANDOAH – A lot can happen in ten years.

Neighborhoods, towns, and lives can be reshaped, for better or for worse.

Achievements creating memories that will last a lifetime.

As we celebrate ten years serving the heart of the anthracite, join us as we look back at some of the most notable and memorable stories we’ve covered.

Historic Kaier Brewery nearly collapses, closes neighborhood for demolition

MAHANOY CITY – A tense few days on Mahanoy City’s northside in 2017.

The towering Kaier Brewery building — the last remnant of a once-thriving complex — was scheduled for demolition to make way for a park and greenspace.

Though, as that process began, the building began to list. A collapse appeared imminent. Beginning on March 8, North Main Street was closed at Railroad Street, effectively shutting down the northside neighborhood.

A 100-foot crane had to be brought in and demolition began on March 9.

It took crews several days to bring down the stubborn structure.

A year later, in August of 2018, officials gathered at the site of the former brewery to break ground on a new park, which was constructed soon after.

Inferno wrecks former Shenandoah factory

SHENANDOAH – One of the more extensive and intense firefights in recent memory took place on a frigid night in January of 2020.

Crews responded to the former United Wiping Cloth factory on East Centre Street, which had been turned into apartments.

A smoke condition was seen in the neighborhood and firefighters entered the structure to find and tackle the fire. Though, flames were soon seen running along the ceiling of the second floor of the factory, originally build for Armour & Co. as a meat processing facility.

Flames overtook the century-old structure and firefighters focused on protecting Bower Street structures.

The initial firefight took 14 hours, though the fire wasn’t completely out for another two weeks.

The owner of the building — a Brooklyn man — left the structure to rot. It was eventually brought down in 2025 as part of a neighborhood revitalization project.

J.W. Cooper School suffers partial collapse, is demolished

SHENANDOAH – Another landmark of Shenandoah’s east end and a fixture of the borough’s history came down in 2024.

The former J.W. Cooper Memorial High School suffered a partial collapse in the Spring and, shortly after, salvage crews removed what they could before the historic 1918 school met the wrecking ball.

It was Shenandoah’s high school from its construction until the early 1980’s and later served as a centralized elementary school until 1994.

After years of abandonment, Kent Steinmetz, of Schuylkill Haven, attempted to restore and revitalize the structure, though decay outpaced the efforts of his volunteer crew.

Ashland 9-11 Little Leaguers make historic run into state playoffs

ASHLAND – The summer of 2021 was the summer of unforgettable baseball for the Ashland community.

Ashland Little League’s 9-11 All-Stars earned the District 24 title, following up with the program’s first ever Section 3 championship.

That earned the team a first-ever berth in the Pennsylvania state tournament in Pittston.

The Sentinel was there as Ashland battled, bowing out of the state tournament in their first two games, taking Whitemarsh into extra innings.

Mahanoy girls’ basketball makes PIAA semifinals

MAHANOY CITY – Earlier in 2021, the Mahanoy Area girls’ basketball team also mustered a memorable postseason run.

The Golden Bears’ won their fourth District XI title in a row, entering the state bracket with a trip to the Philadelphia suburbs, taking down Sacred Heart.

The next game was in the city itself, against a closing Bishop McDevitt school whose only win was the district championship.

That victory set up a return to the coal region, taking on Mount Carmel at Mahanoy Area for a trip to Hershey.

That is where the Bears’ season ended.

Schuylkill Mall makes way for warehouse

FRACKVILLE – If you’re from the area, you certainly have a memory or two from the Schuylkill Mall.

A fixture of growing up for many in the area, the mall was demolished in the Spring of 2018 after months of uncertainty.

The bankrupt mall was purchased by a Kansas City development firm intent on razing the commercial hub for warehousing.

Flooding plagues Gilberton

GILBERTON – On numerous occasions, Gilberton lived up to the nickname “Ducktown” as the community experienced extraordinary flooding in 2018 and 2020.

The flooding event in 2020 lasted several days and led to the deployment of dive teams from Mahanoy City and Schuylkill Haven until flood waters receded.

Convicted killer leads chase through area, ends in Hazleton

HAZLETON – In the summer of 2020, law enforcement pursued a tractor trailer beginning in the Frackville area, ending in gunfire in Hazleton.

Wade Russell Meisberger was wanted by U.S. Marshals on a homicide probation violation when authorities attempted to arrest him near Frackville.

A chase ensued, making its way through the Hazleton area and ending at the Beech Street playground.

A three-hour standoff ensued and gunfire was exchanged. Meisberger was killed.

He was released in 2015, serving the remainder of a 1993 murder conviction on probation.

Graffiti Highway no more; impromptu area landmark covered

CENTRALIA – In April 2020, after coronavirus restrictions led to a major uptick in visitors to the Centralia area — and fire calls in the area of Graffiti Highway — the owner of the former thoroughfare took action.

Triaxle after triaxle traversed the buckled highway, dumping load after load of dirt atop the spraypaint.

Fox Coal Company, of Mount Carmel, was hired by the Graffiti Highway’s owner, Pagnotti Enterprises, of Wilkes-Barre, to cover the road with backfill.

In addition to the uptick in fire calls at the impromptu landmark, damage had been reported at other locations in Centralia, including the active cemeteries.

Tornado strikes Mahanoy City; first in valley since at least 1950

MAHANOY CITY – The first tornado in this valley since at least 1950 struck Mahanoy City in May of 2024.

Near where the National Weather Service later determined the initially-unwarned twister touched down, wood could be seen driven deep into the roof of the Mahanoy Area School District complex.

As authorities investigated, John Bowen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service survey crew, told the Sentinel that the common belief in northern Schuylkill County, that communities like Shenandoah and Mahanoy City are shielded from tornadoes by mountains, is not true.

“Topography can modify weather to a degree, but if a tornado is on the ground and causing damage, it really doesn’t care,” Bowen said. “It’ll cross mountains.”

No injuries were reported in the incident.

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