A Garden Fall and a Hidden Danger: Remembering Mrs. Barton’s Mine Accident
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
June 1, 1917
Dearest garden reader,
On this day, a startling and rare garden accident unfolded in West Scranton, Pennsylvania, when Mrs. Theadore Barton, while pulling weeds in her radish bed on June 1st, suddenly plunged through the earth into an abandoned mine gangway lying 18 feet deep beneath her garden.
A mine gangway—the lifeline of an old mine—is a heavily timbered tunnel designed for safe passage underground, making her unexpected fall both extraordinary and perilous.
Several neighbors, alarmed by Mrs. Barton’s screams, rushed to her aid and, despite considerable effort, successfully rescued her from the darkness below.
The incident serves as a vivid reminder that even gardens—places of peace and beauty—can harbor hidden dangers.
How often do we pause to consider what lies beneath the soil we tend?
Such caution resonates deeply with personal experience.
Just last fall, in early November, I took a sudden fall in my own garden, face-planting into the hard earth. The abruptness left me wondering if I was still alive, with no time to brace or prepare.
The incident underscored a lesson I often share with students and fellow gardeners alike: always keep your phone close at hand. Not just for capturing the blooms and greenery around you, but as a safeguard—to call for help if fate should turn suddenly.
Have you ever experienced a garden mishap or taken precautions that have kept you safe among the beds and borders?
What safety rituals might you incorporate into your tending routine?
Gardens are sanctuaries for soul and body alike, but gentle reader, let us never forget the earth’s hidden shadows.
As you roam your garden paths, carry a watchful heart and steady hands, and keep your phone nearby for both delight and protection.
