The James Minds family settled in the small village of Beulah in 1874. James H. Minds was born and raised in Schuylkill County.
He named the village after the Beulah Land, either from the book of Isiah in the Old Testament or from John Bunyon’s 1678 book “Pilgrim’s Progress”.
Coal was what brought James Minds to the region after being a businessman familiar with mining. He had experience throughout central Pennsylvania working within other mining businesses.
Sometime after 1885, Minds opened one of the largest mines in this area and named it Webster No. 4 as part of the Beulah Shaft Coal Company.
It was reported to load and ship approximately 1,000 tons of coal daily. There was a train station located in Beulah for the Pennsylvania Railroad to transport coal. People also would catch the train to nearby towns.
James and his wife, Julia (Doorley), together raised 11 children at the family homestead in located in Beulah.
The house was also the site of the company store and mining business. As the family and business grew, James then moved the offices and the store to a large building in the neighboring borough of Ramey.
James Minds died at his home on his 79th birthday on Aug. 10, 1925. Just the day prior he motored with his family to Osceola Mills. He is buried, along with his wife and several children in the Beulah Cemetery.
