 Anthracite coal (then called stone coal) was discovered near where Pottsville was to rise in 1790 by Necho Allen.In the year 1795 a blacksmith in Schuylkill County named Whetstone also learned how to use it successfully for smithing purposes.In the year 1806 coal was found in cutting the tail-race of the Valley (Iron) Forge, on the Schuylkill, and was used successfully by Daniel Berlin, a blacksmith, which led to its general use by the smiths in the neighborhood.