 In the early 19th century southern Schuylkill County was served by the Union Canal out of Pine Grove Township with connections west, and the Schuylkill Canal (more properly the Schuylkill Navigation) southward from Port Carbon to Philadelphia.Coal mined by Lehigh Coal and Navigation in the Tamaqua and Coaldale areas was often shipped down the Lehigh Canal from Jim Thorpe in neighboring Carbon County.To the north, mountain and ridges were a natural barrier to navigation.