History of House 11, Two Town

Harriet and John Crawford lived in this cottage shortly after Harriet arrived from England in 1906. They raised six children in this cottage. Her daughter, Muriel Kitching, remembered her mother as tiny, clever, ingenious Englishwoman who managed with a large family, tub, and washboard laundry equipment in a small roomed dwelling with outdoor plumbing. The Crawford family moved into a larger company home across the street in the 1920’s. Floor coverings and furnishings were from the Company Store or ordered from Montgomery Ward. Company policy was to furnish electricity for lighting only. Union Pacific Coal Company remodeled the houses in the mid-forties. That was when the built-in cupboards were installed. The Union Pacific Coal Company maintained and owned the housed until 1955. In 1955 the Union Pacific Coal Company offered the houses for sale after the mines were closed for a year. The Cummings Family bought House 11, Two Town and signed a 99-year lease for the lot at the cost of $1.00. Later the company sold the lot outright to them. In 1966 the Robert and Sarah Cummings move to Laramie due to health concerns. House 11, Two Town was moved to the current location after it was donated to the Hanna Basin Museum. House 11, Two Town contains a carefully curated collection of household items from various Hanna families who lived and worked in Hanna when it was a Union Pacific Coal Company Town. We invite you to experience this authentic coal miners’ family house.