Scranton & Wilkes-Barre

February 2016

While in the Poconos for the Jim Thorpe Winterfest, we headed up to Scranton for the day to visit the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum. I highly recommend stopping in if you ever get the chance. The history and heritage of the miners and their families is a fascinating tale. Living as close as we do to the PA coal mining region, I'm sorry I haven't explored it more. I hope to head back up there one day and take the coal mine tour since it was closed for the winter. We also visited the Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces. It was here that we realized that we did not wear enough layers for the subzero temperatures and after exploring the furnaces we headed directly to the nearest Wal-Mart for additional hand warmers and thermal underwear! On the way back down to the hotel in Lehighton, we made a stop at Mohegan Sun Pocono (formerly Pocono Downs) in Wilkes-Barre for dinner and a little gambling.

01 McDade Park Sign
We headed to McDade Park to visit the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
02 Coal Mine Tour
Unfortunately, the coal mine tour isn’t open this time of year
03 Hudson Coal Engine
Hudson Coal Engine outside the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
06 Anthracite Coal and View
A large chunk of coal outside the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
07 Coal Miner Helmet
Coal miner helmet
08 Coal & Iron Police Badge
A badge from the Coal & Iron Police. Google them and learn what that’s all about. Not exactly the good old days.
09 Gatling Gun
Gatling Gun
11 Anthracite Coal
Anthracite coal display
12 Coal Stove
Coal burning stove
13 Curling Stone
There’s a curling stone, and we’re not even in Canada.
14 Luggage
This luggage makes me appreciate my wheeled suitcase!
19 Changing Room
Miner’s changing room
20 Steam Engine
High speed steam engine from 1880
23 Spooling Machine
Spooling machine from Scranton’s garment industry
24 Mom and Married People
My mother made 2 small friends
25 Meat Wagon
Need meat? Wait for the meat wagon.
28 Miner's Kitchen
A typical kitchen you’d find in the home of a miner’s family.
31 Lace
Wilkes-Barre Lace Manufacturing company made this huge piece
33 Bar
After a long day in the mines, you need a drink.
34 Coal Oven
Bread, pizza, etc. cooked in a coal oven has a distinct flavor
36 Coal George Washington Statue
George Washington bust carved from anthracite coal
39 Scranton View
Looking out over the hills of Scranton
40 Lackawanna Railroad Bridge
Lackawanna Railroad trestle
41 Scranton Electric City Mural
Scranton is the Electric City
42 Scranton Electric City Mural
Scranton is the Electric City
45 Scranton Iron Furnaces Sign
Subzero temperatures didn’t stop us from visiting the Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces
46 View from Iron Furnaces
The view from atop the Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces
50 Iron Furnace
Walking around on top of the Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces
51 Roaring Brook
Roaring Brook flows alongside the Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces
52 Iron Furnace Interior
Looking down the interior of an iron furnace
54 Roaring Brook
Roaring Brook
55 Scranton Iron Furnaces
Walking around the snowy Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces
57 Iron Furnace Interior
Inside the Historic Scranton Iron Furnaces
58 Iron Furnace Interior
Inside an iron furnace
61 Lackawanna Iron Historic Marker
Lackawanna Iron played a big part in the history of Scranton
62 Army Blacksmith Building
The blacksmith shop at the Army munitions plant
64 Mohegan Sun Cauldron
We stopped at Mohegan Sun Pocono (formerly Pocono Downs) for dinner and some gambling.
65 Mohegan Sun Sign
We stopped at Mohegan Sun Pocono (formerly Pocono Downs) for dinner and some gambling.