History of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

Name: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
Address: Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA

Journey back in time to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

Visit Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and genealogy.

The initial settlers were aligned with colonial Connecticut, which had a claim on the land that rivaled Pennsylvania's. Armed men loyal to Pennsylvania twice attempted to evict the residents of Wilkes-Barre in what came to be known as the Pennamite–Yankee War. After the American Revolution, the conflict was resolved between the states, and Connecticut gave up its claim. The settlers retained title to their lands but transferred their allegiance to Pennsylvania.

Wilkes-Barre was founded in 1769 and formally incorporated in 1806. The city grew rapidly in the 19th century after the discovery of nearby coal reserves and the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who provided a labor force for the local mines. The coal mining fueled industrialization in the city, which reached the height of its prosperity in the first half of the 20th century.

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1808 - February 11 - Anthracite coal 1st burned as fuel, experimentally, Wilkes-Barre, Pa

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1836 - October 6 - A second early season snowstorm produced eleven inches at Wilkes Barre PA

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American Scenery,
by N.P. Willis, Illustrated by William Henry Bartlett, 1840
Artwork
1854 - Wilkesbarre
Wilkesbabrk, a post-township of Luzerne co., Pennsylvania, contains Wilkesbarre, the county sent. Population, 6751.

Wilkesbarre, a thriving...Read MORE...
1895 - ELECTRIC CARS COLLIDE. THE DEATH OF TWO PERSONS, AT LEAST, BEYOND A DOUBT.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Jan. 26. - Two men were fatally and five other persons seriously injured in a collision between two electric cars near this city...Read MORE...
1895 - Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, a thriving city of Pennsylvania, the capital of Luzerne co, and one of the most progressive and important of the inland cities of the...Read MORE...
1896 - GRIEF TURNED TO JOY. Mine Disaster Not So Serious as First Supposed MANY OF THE VICTIMS RESCUED
A Score or More of the Miners Entombed by an Explosion of Gas near Wilkes-Barre, but Fourteen Are Found to be Alive

Wilkes-Barre, PA., Dec...Read MORE...
Bicycles and Watches Given Away
Do You Want One?
Royal Tea Co.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

The Ladies' Home Journal
July 1898
Advertisement
Corner River and Market Sts., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Postcard
Y.W.C.A. Building, Wilkes Barre, Pa.
Postcard
Sterling Hotel, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Postcard
1906
Wilkesbarre, a city, capital of Luzerne co., Pa., on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River and on the Central R. of New Jersey, the Lehigh...Read MORE...
1953 - January 1 - WBRE TV channel 28 in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, PA (NBC) 1st broadcast

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1972 - June 22 - Hurricane Agnes deluged Pennsylvania and New York State with torrential rains resulting in the most costly flood in U.S. history.
In the Middle Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania, 24 hour rainfall amounts were generally 8 to 12 inches, with up to 19 inches in extreme...Read MORE...