As the mines of Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal country began to fail, many would leave the mining towns for more opportunity elsewhere. However, the townspeople of Ashland would form the Ashland Boys Association to welcome former miners back and keep the memory of the town and families alive. The Association would commission a statue of Whistler’s Mother, dedicated to the mothers of Ashland, in 1938. The economics of resource extraction are prone to periods of boom and bust, and anthracite coal mining of eastern Pennsylvania is no exception. After the peak…
