During the geological past a great block of land was uplifted where Huntingdon, Bedford and Fulton counties now come together. Within that block, four major seams of coal were embedded. For people of the Broad Top, that bituminous bonanza shaped their lives for over a century. From the middle 19th century on “Coal is King” was the organizing principle of most “Broad Toppers” lives.

The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River skirts the western edge of this land mass which looms over the Trough Creek Plateau from the south. A now abandoned rail line—the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad (1852-1954)—led from Huntingdon to the Broad Top and beyond, paralleling the river. The eastern side of the Broad Top Mountain was approached by the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad (1874-1956) from Mount Union to Robertsdale/Wood.

The history, economy, political and social mores of this distinctive region were all shaped by the twin prods of rail and coal; digging it out and hauling it away were the occupations that provided incentives for Broad Toppers to stick to the land. Much of this history can be felt and seen today by vacationers in the Broad Top area.

No deep mines are open for touring, but many of the structures/accessories to the industry are still in place and can be viewed in the area. Abandoned coal tipples, wooden water towers, company housing, rail terminal yards, and a museum housing artifacts and mementoes of the industry are in the sequence of towns throughout the Broad Top and surrounding areas, culminating at the Broad Top area Coal Miners Museum in Robertsdale.