PITTSTON, Pa. — Monday will mark 65 years since 12 men lost their lives in the Knox Mine disaster.
Those 12 miners were remembered on Sunday morning in Luzerne County with a special mass at St. John, the Evangelist church on William Street in Pittston.
After the mass, a ceremony was held at the Baloga Funeral Home on Main Street in Jenkins Township, where there is a memorial for those miners that was blessed by deacon Francis Bradigan.
On January 22nd, 1959, improper digging caused the Susquehanna River to flood into the mine, where 12 miners who were working were not able to make it out.
"The water is still down there, and most tragically, the victims are still down there. This is their marker, this is their tombstone, so to speak. It was put up by the community," said Dr. Robert Wolensky, a historian.
The commemoration ended with a walk to the mine break-in site along the Luzerne County rail trail.