“Great Titanic sinks with 1500 on board.” In the days after the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, the news finally reached Pennsylvania's Coal Region in full force. This Scranton front page captures the moment when shock, scale, and tragedy came into focus for readers. Read the Story.
On February 20, 1906, a cave-in over Scranton’s Bellevue mine swallowed a home at 322 S. 5th Avenue. The Shea family fled as rumbling began; their house sank eight feet. Next door, the Doughertys heard their home beginning to give way. One house was lost; the other survived. Read the full story.
In January 1865, an Irish emigrant in Scranton wrote home with urgency and affection: he’s prepaid a passage, warns that “gold is so high,” and begs his brother-in-law to come—packing pipes, oatmeal, and “Paddy’s eye water.” Amid war, paper money, and longing, the letter captures the costs, logistics, and hope of Coal Region migration. Read the full story.
Travel back to 1863 Scranton through a striking Harper’s illustration revealing its smoky ironworks, bustling railroads, and crowded immigrant shanties as it powered the Union war machine in the Civil War. The contrast between humble huts and wealthy homes illustrates gritty industrial life and class divide in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region in the 19th century. Read the full story.
In 1894, author Stephen Crane ventured into Pennsylvania’s coal fields and documented the gritty scene in McClure’s Magazine. His vivid descriptions capture the rumble of looming colliery machinery and miners returning in coal-dusted exhaustion. Discover a first-hand view into a relentless underground world. Read the full story.
A haunting interview from 1861 reveals Private John Lanahan’s remorse after fatally shooting Major Arnold Lewis in a whiskey-fueled rage. Discover how an Irish immigrant’s fleeting moment of violence led to a shocking public execution – and a cautionary tale for other Civil War soldiers. Read the full story.
Llewelyn Evans emigrated from Wales to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1871. He began working in the anthracite industry at age 9 and served as a Pennsylvania mine inspector for 40 years before retiring in 1942. His poignant memories of child labor as a breaker boy highlight the harsh realities faced by children in that era. Read the full story.
In November 1938, the Scranton Tribune published a powerful editorial condemning the Nazi-led violence of Kristallnacht. The article denounced the brutal attacks on Jewish communities in Germany and Austria, warning of the the growing threat of Nazi persecution and anti-Semitism. Read the full story.
In October 1865, multiple baseball clubs met in the Wyoming Valley to battle for victory on a makeshift diamond.
As the 1918 pandemic reached its peak in Scranton, PA, the city's newsboys had a fascination with face masks.