The book “The Magic City of Egypt” published in 1991 by William N. Macfarlane has been re-indexed to contain 1,089 references to people, schools, churches, places, businesses, organizations and events. Primarily a reference about Johnston City’s history the book also contains a wealth of information about the coal mine industry and operational mines throughout the area. It itemizes a list of miners who lost their lives between 1897 and 1951, how they died and in which mines they worked in addition to how most miners lived and what wages they earned.

The title of the book was derived from Johnston City’s growth explosion due to coal mining from 1900 to 1920 with a population jumping from 787 to 7,137 in 20 years. The book was edited and photos secured by Pearl Roberts. The index has been added to our local history book master index.