The CAN DO Community Foundation sponsored a historical marker at the Sheppton Mine Disaster and Rescue site to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the day two coal miners trapped in a mine cave-in were rescued.

The plaque provided details of the disaster and the then-new technique that was used to drill a borehole and free the miners. David Fellin and Henry “Hank” Throne were rescued on August 27, 1963. Louis Bova, who had been cut off from the others, was never recovered.

The event gained national attention and led to more stringent mine safety regulations and the borehole technique went on to be used to rescue miners at Quecreek Mine in Somerset County in 2002 and in Chile in 2010.

An eight-person committee was assembled shortly after the 50th anniversary two years ago to begin the process of applying a marker at the site. The committee submitted an application to the Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission, which approves less than 20 of the 200 applications it receives every year.

John Bova, the son of the late Louis Bova, and J. Ronnie Sando, a member of the rescue team, unveiled the marker during a ceremony attended by more than 50 people.