History of Avondale: On September 6, 1869, a fire broke out at the nearby Avondale Colliery, trapping the miners. The eventual death toll was 110. This included five boys between the ages of twelve and seventeen, and two volunteers who were suffocated while attempting rescue. As a result of this disaster, Pennsylvania's General Assembly enacted legislation in 1870 which was designed to enforce greater safety in the industry. Behind the Marker Deep mining was and still is one of the most dangerous occupations. In nineteenth-century America, beyond the generally unhealthy conditions involved with any extended exposure to anthracite dust and debris, deep mines by way of vertical shafts were prone to floods, collapse, fires, and oxygen shortages. The 1869 disaster at Avondale involved both fire and depleted oxygen, and was the worst in the history of anthracite mining. Two years before the catastrophe, the Steuben Coal Company built a breaker directly above the single shaft at the Avondale Colliery near Plymouth, PA. Like other mining companies at that time, it kept small fires burning at the bottom of shafts to create drafts that then promoted better air circulation for the working miners. Sparks from this ventilating furnace set fire to the timbers in the shaft, and the flames then engulfed the breaker at the surface — the only exit for those underground. The breaker collapsed into the shaft and the fire devoured the oxygen. Over 100 men and boys asphyxiated 300 feet below ground. The efforts of fire fighters and rescuers were hopeless, and two more men suffocated in the pervading mine gases as they attempted to reach the trapped miners. It took two days of clearing debris and poisonous gases from the mine before the first victims were reached. Some men had fallen while running, another was kneeling, and a father was found with his arm around his son. Several months earlier, the Workingmen's Benevolent Association had petitioned Pennsylvania's legislature for greater safety measures in mines. Presenting 3,000 signatures, workers asked for a law requiring that mines have adequate ventilation and mine inspectors. But due to the objections of Senator Turner of Luzerne County, this enacted legislation did not apply to the county nor to Avondale. After the disaster, the Mine Safety Act of 1870 applied to all anthracite mines and specified that mines have two outlets. In later years, investigations still found safety measures ignored and mine workers calling for more reforms. 

Types of activity: EVPs, objects tossed, Disembodied voices Analysis: There is some very aggressive spirits there. We do not recommend anyone investigate Avondale unless you are an experienced team and you are arware of the dangers at the site. A total of 110 men and boys lost their lives in that fire in 1869 we must never forget that. There have been strong rumors that the fire was an intentional arson. There is some documentation on this but it was not proven conclusively. Avondale is in poor shape structurally and parts are collapsing so personal safety is important. We at PVPA must caution everyone be careful and enter at your own risk. 

 Results: We strongly feel that Avondale is haunted based on the amount of investigations we conducted there (10+) and the accumulation of evidence. There were investigations that we did not experience anything paranormal at the Avondale Site