East Union approves construction of Miners Memorial Park
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The future site of the Sheppton Mine Disaster Memorial Park at Pine and Center Streets in Sheppton, seen on April 8, 2025.
SHEPPTON – This East Union Township village will soon have a new park dedicated as a memorial to the Sheppton Mine Disaster of 1963.
East Union Township Supervisors unveiled plans for the park at Monday’s regular meeting and approved its construction.
Supervisors Chairman Kyle Mummey said the park, to be located at Pine and Center Streets, will be built through the charitable arm of Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services.
“When I took office about six years ago, this property had a makeshift fence that surrounded it and there was a big hole in the ground,” Mummey said.
The township took the property and blighted buildings next door through eminent domain. Those buildings were demolished through funds from Schuylkill County.
“The thought and the idea was to put a miners memorial park to commemorate the mine disaster of 1963,” Mummey said. “We applied for multiple grants, twice, and got shot down both times.”
The property will feature a parking area, a lighted gazebo, and a large marker commemorating and remembering the disaster.
“This was a major part of our history in Sheppton,” Mummey said. “There will be no out-of-pocket cost to the township.”
Mummey said Mericle is ready to start construction soon.
“I really think that when you drive through Sheppton, this is going to catch your eye and it’s going to be a beautiful park right in the middle of our town,” Mummey said.
The Sheppton Mine Disaster occurred in 1963 when a mine cave-in trapped David Fellin, Henry Throne, and Louis Bova. After a two-week rescue effort, Fellin and Throne were saved. Bova was lost in the disaster.
In other business, the township is seeking a $350,000 grant for sidewalks along Center Street in Sheppton.
The project was first brought up at the March township meeting, in which Daniel Danchision asked the township engineer, Dominic Yanuzzi, about the possibility.
It would not be a small project, Yanuzzi said, and the $350,000 grant, if awarded, would only cover a small portion. He cited an ongoing project in Conyngham Borough which is in Phase 7.
The township is also planning to repave all of the streets on the west side of Brandonville. Supervisors said Monday that the effort was put out for bid at a special meeting last week.
Funds are pending to handle Second Boulevard on the east side of the village to resolve drainage issues and resurface the street.
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