Sheppton, PA

Sheppton is a Schuylkill County census-designated place in Pennsylvania's anthracite country. The community is covered by Hazleton Area School District, with Hazleton Area High School serving students from the area. Its ZIP code is 18248, but the number most closely tied to Sheppton's name is 1963, when a mine collapse turned the small community into the center of an international rescue story. The event remains part of local memory because the rescue unfolded slowly, in full view of families and neighbors waiting above the workings.

Three anthracite miners were trapped roughly 330 feet underground after the Sheppton mine cave-in. A six-inch borehole reached the chamber where David Fellin and Henry “Hank” Throne were still alive, and the two men were rescued after 14 days below ground. A third miner, Lou Bova, was trapped separately and was not recovered. The rescue brought reporters, engineers, and anxious families to the area, while the mine itself left a lasting mark on the surrounding landscape. Sheppton's story is one of coal, danger, and an astonishing rescue remembered far beyond Schuylkill County.