Sep 26, 2016 1 min read

I’ve read that an idea has been put forth to rename Miners Field in the old Coverdale section of Bethel to honor longtime council member John Pape.

I feel that as a descendant of coal miners who included my father, grandfather and a young uncle who died in Coverdale Mine, Mine No. 8, that should not happen.

I understand Mr. Pape is highly thought of in the area, and this in no way diminishes his many accomplishments; rather, this memorial recognizes the generations of miners who worked there and in the other local mines.

I took my five grandchildren to the park this past summer, and they enjoyed learning the history of coal mining in this area and of seeing the names, many of whom I recognized, inscribed on the monument.

One solution, I think, would be to make the field a dual memorial retaining the Miners name and adding Mr. Pape as an addendum.

By renaming older facilities with the names of more recently deceased persons, we lose our knowledge of our local past history.

Margie Wyke

Cecil Township