Dec 7, 2004 By Angie Santello 7 min read

KEISTERVILLE – When Lois Brant Smoley looks at the course of upturned dirt at the rear of the former coal mining patch in Menallen Township, she says it won’t be long before league players are hitting softballs high into the blue sky over a leveled field and kids are romping on newly established playground equipment, bouncing basketballs on a renovated court and enjoying education in a new community center. Brant Smoley, secretary of the Keisterville Community and Youth Center, said that she never thought she’d be back to the small patch town where she grew up at the height of the coal mining era, but now that she is, it’s all about giving back.

“If someone told me I’d come back to Keister, I never would have believed them,” she said.

As secretary for the Youth Center, Brant Smoley said the community of 230 needs a recreational outlet and the group was organized to provide just that.

“There really isn’t anything constructive for the residents to do,” she said. “We have all the community problems that the big city has, but we don’t have any recreation or educational facilities to negate those negative activities.”

The Youth Center group recently received a grant of $5,000 from the Community Foundation of Fayette County to further its project goals. The money will help pay for $51,000 in improvements slated for the ball field and the basketball court located on community center property at the rear of the patch. The improvements make up Phase I of project plans.

Phase II consists of construction of a community playground and pavilion. Phase III is the long-term goal of building of a community building and a walking trail to snake through the dense woods behind the property.

In addition to the Smoley’s dedication, it is also president of the Youth Center Brian May’s enthusiasm and love of softball that has lifted the organization to its feet.

“We’re the model for other communities looking to do the same thing,” May said.

When May moved to Keisterville about eight years ago with a love to play ball, he took it upon himself to renovate the neglected field. Since, a softball league has reformed to play teams in other Fayette County patch towns, including Allison and Royal.

“The kids don’t have anything else to do,” May said about his motivation to renovate the field, which was in bad shape before members of the ball team made small improvements.

Within the list of major improvements yet to happen, the ball diamond’s left field will be leveled and the field will be reversed so the batter has a clear vision of the outfield. At the basketball court, fencing will be placed around the perimeter. New hoops and resurfacing of the court has already taken place. At the start of the park, a sign reading “Welcome to Keisterville Community & Youth Center” was erected.

Brant Smoley said the Menallen Township supervisors excavated the area, and new grass seed, shrubs and trees will be planted in the future.

Brant Smoley said the enthusiasm from the community is very evident in the form of donations and pitching in with an extra hand when needed.

Recognized as a non-profit incorporation, the group envisions a bright future with means to accomplish their goals, especially since they were recently endowed with their first grant to begin renovations at the community center property.

The reorganized community center group held its first meeting in October of 2003 and soon after held its first fund-raiser, which helped pay for a community honor roll dedicated in July of 2003.

Through additional funding, the organization is hoping the first phase will be finished in 2005, and all three phases will be complete within four or five years.

Brant Smoley said many in the patch town are willing to pitch in where a hand is needed.

“We live in a nice little town,” Brant Smoley said. “We have people who want to help.

“This is a safe community, a community where everyday things are being done to help,” she added. “I think the community sees when you donate, you’re giving to see something nice.”

The current group reorganized based on the groundwork laid when the Keisterville Recreation Center existed in the mid-20th century. The former group also aimed to establish a youth center, but the plans fell through because of lack of money.

As members of the old group, Casey Hunter and Alex Yurick were placed on the original deed of the community center property, which the group purchased for $1 from John and Frances Thomas, one family that remained after the Keisterville coalmines closed.

The Thomas family purchased the parcel of land where the ball diamond is located as well as the Sammy Woodward home. Keisterville is located on what was originally the Sammy Woodward Farm. They sold the 18 acres on Jan. 13, 1950.

Since the group reorganized, Hunter and Yurick passed the land onto the community once again. The men serve as vice presidents of the current group.

The Keister Coal & Coke Company built the baseball field as a recreational outlet for the number of coal miners returning from a hard day’s work. The company organized and sponsored a team and provided uniforms, bats and transportation to the various coalmining communities for the men to play.

On a summer afternoon, after a day full of work, the miners would play baseball to crowds of hundreds.

Cars line patch streets from the ball diamond to Main Street in the patch, Brant Smoley’s husband, Frank “Punya” Smoley, said. He was a child when his father worked in the mines. Smoley said he used to be a ball catcher and was thrilled as a kid to receive a broken bat as a reward.

“Fayette County had the elite of the teams,” Smoley said. “A couple of guys were nominated to the pros. …If you worked for Keister mine, you were a good ball player.”

More than 5,000 fans gathered during one game and six state police troopers were on hand to control traffic, remembers Casey Hunter, whose father also made his living as a coal miner.

“We had some good ball players,” Hunter said.

Brant Smoley said after all the coal was removed, the coalmines closed, and by the 1960s the industry had nearly died, causing most residents, including the best of the ball players, to relocate to find employment.

Baseball faded as a form of recreation/entertainment and the organized teams became a thing of the past. With baseball games no longer played at the site, the ball field became neglected, she said.

“When the coal mines were in existence, this was like another community,” Brant Smoley said. “It was all-inclusive and the small coal communities had great baseball teams. …You got fringe benefits if you played ball.”

In 2005, the Keisterville Community and Youth Center biannual reunion will honor these ball players.

Although a long road lies ahead until the Youth Center accomplishes its full list of project goals, group members know they benefits will far outweigh the work involved.

“It takes a little bit of work, but you reap the benefits to no end,” Brant Smoley said.

Additional members of the Keisterville Community and Youth Center are treasurer Daniel Carpeal Jr. and members Don Hatley and Joseph Hunter.

Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 86, 803 Ball Field Road, Keisterville, PA 15449.