It was during the late 1800’s when waves of immigrants were migrating from Europe to America for the promise of freedom and success.
Tucked between Munson and Winburne is the little village of Forest where groups of German, Slavic, Hungarian and Russian immigrants took employment at the local coal mines.
When the early settlers decided to make their homesteads in Forest, they scarcely could see the ground due to all the standing trees.
They began the daunting task of chopping down trees to build their own small community to fulfill the dreams that brought them to America.
Many of the villagers also maintained small farms, which they operated after a long day at the mines was finished. This is when Forest saw its heyday in the early part of the 1900’s when coal mining was booming.
The trolley line was installed and ran through lower Forest on what is now known as Sawmill Road. The line began in Philipsburg and ended in Winburne.
Religion has always been important factor in this little village, as there were four churches that served the community.
In 1912, Forest had 130 houses, three or four stores, a butcher shop, a blacksmith shop, barber shop, three sawmills and a coke oven.
The village also had a two-room schoolhouse for the many children of the community. Just over one hill was the town of Winburne and over the other hill was the community of Munson where many friends and family members of the Forest residents lived.
It is said that there was a hanging foot bridge that went over the Moshannon Creek to aid in foot transportation for visiting family, attending church and doing business.
After the coal boom started to dwindle, many of the Forest miners relocated their families to Michigan to work in the automobile industry. Several came back to the village to retire, as Forest was their own piece of paradise.
Today as you drive through the village of Forest you will see a scattering of old homes and new homes.
You can still feel the cool breeze through the trees and see where the cut for the train and trolley tracks once went through on Sawmill Road.
There are foundations that still exist from the old structures that held many memories for the early settlers.
One thing that has never changed in the little village of Forest is the sense of community that has been instilled from the forefathers that settled the land.
