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• 1854 - Scranton / Lackawanna
  Scranton, formerly Lackawanna, a flourishing post-borough of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, on the left bank of the Lackawanna river, about 7 miles from its mouth, 16 miles N. E. from Wilkesbarre, and 14 miles S. W. from Carbondale. The Lackawanna and Western railroad extends from Scranton to Great Bend, on the New York and Erie rail road, and the Pennsylvania Coal Company's railroad extends eastward about 28 miles, to the Lackawaxen canal. The plank-road from Wilkesbarre to Carbondale passes through Scranton. These improvements, together with the rich mines of coal which are worked in the vicinity, render it a place of active business, and an important depot of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. It contains extensive iron furnaces, foundries, and rolling mills. The population has rapidly in creased for a few years past ; it is composed chiefly of Welsh, Irish, and English. Iron ore is abundant in the vicinity. Roaring creek enters the river about half n mile below Scranton. One paper is... Read MORE...
  
  
• Scranton was incorporated on February 14, 1856, as a borough in Luzerne County
  
  
• Scranton was incorporated as a city on April 23, 1866
  
  
•   1868 - Explosion
  An explosion occurred at the powder works near Scranton, Pa., recently severely burning a Mr. George Smith, an employe in the works. Twenty-two and a half kegs of powder went up, taking the roof of the building with it.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  June 6, 1868
  
• The city of Scranton was designated as the county seat when Lackawanna County was established in 1878.
  
  
•   1886 - Strange Breakup
  Miss Effie Coslett, of Scranton, Pa., has in consideration of ten thousand dollars in cash, consented to release from and engagement her lover, Frank Howell, who failed to put in a appearance on the night appointed for the wedding, because the spirit of his father told him not to get married.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  August 7, 1886
  
•   1890 - A BLAZE AT SCRANTON About Forty Houses and Factories Destroyed by Fire.
  Fire broke out in the works of the BLOOM CARRIAGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, on Eighth street, in Scranton, Penn., at eight o'clock in the evening and spread rapidly to adjoining property and destroyed eighteen private dwellings the pattern shop and boiler house of FINCH'S foundry and the screen works of BROOK & ROSS.
  
  For two hours the fire raged with great fury, being fanned by a strong wind. Most of the families in the burned dwellings were able to move their effects, thus lessening the loss. One block of twelve houses was carried away completely.
  
  E. ROBINSON'S great brewery caught fire from the burning buildings, and was badly damaged. It is estimated that at least forty dwelling houses have been destroyed and that 150 people are homeless.
  
  The loss on the carriage works will be $75,000; insurance, $18,500. FINCH'S foundry, loss, $20,000; COOPER, loss, $10,000; insurance, $7,000; and the losses of other owners and occupants of house will bring the total loss up to... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1895 - Scranton
  Scranton, a city, the capital of Lackawanna co., Pa., is pleasantly situated in a valley or plain on the Lackawanna River, 149 miles W.N.W. of New York, 167 miles N. of Philadelphia, and 18 miles N.E. of Wilkesbarre. It is on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. It is well built, with wide streets, and many costly public and private edifices. It contains 33 churches, an opera-house, several academies, a public library, 12 banks, and a hospital. Three daily and 15 weekly newspapers are published here. Scranton is an important centre of the trade in anthracite coal, and its prosperity is mainly derived from operations in coal and manufactures of iron, machinery, &c. It has large rolling mills, steel-works, furnaces, car-shops, planing-mills, foundries, and manufactures of locomotives, steam-boilers, edge tools, carriages, leather, mining-machinery, railroad iron, stoves, silk fabrics, sash, blinds, &c. It is also a consider able... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1897 - SUFFOCATED IN A COAL MINE. SLOPE CATCHES FIRE AND SMOKE FILLS THE WORKINGS - YOMASKI'S ESCAPE.
  Scranton, Pa., Nov. 1. - The most fatal mine disaster in the Lackawanna, or Wyoming, coal fields since, the Twin Shaft horror at Pittston over a year ago was developed in the fire which gutted the River Slope of the Delaware and Hudson company's Von Storch mine in this city Saturday. Six men were suffocated by smoke, and one other, a Polander, was numbered among the dead for awhile.
  
  The dead are:
  THOMAS HILL, boss.
  JOHN FARRELL, company man.
  JOHN FRANCIS MORAN, driver.
  MICHAEL WALSH, laborer.
  JOHN McDONNELL, miner.
  THOMAS PADDEN.
  
  The missing men were at work in the deck and surface veins, the former 100 and the latter sixty feet from the surface. They had but two avenues of escape. The shorter route was by way of the slope, which was a sea of flames, and the other route was via cross-cuts to gangways which lead to an air shaft nearly a mile from the spot where the men were working.
  
  Fire kept them out of the slope, and the smoke which backed into all the workings... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1906
  Scranton, a city, capital of Lackawanna co., Pa., is pleasantly situated on rising ground on the Lackawanna River, at the junction of the Roaring Brook, 160 miles N. of Philadelphia, on the Lackawanna, the Central R. of New Jersey, and other railroads. It contains a number of notable public edifices, such as the government building, city- hall, court-house, the Albright Memorial Library (with about 50,000 volumes), opera-house, board of trade building, etc. The town possesses a Historical Society, a Society of Natural Science, and a school for the deaf and dumb. Scranton is the centre of the great anthracite region, and its prosperity is mainly derived from operations in coal and manufactures of iron, machinery, etc. It has large rolling- mills, steel-works, steel-rail mills, furnaces, manufactories of locomotives, steam-boilers, edge-tools, nuts and bolts, carriages, leather, mining-machinery, silk fabrics, lace curtains, sash, blinds, etc. It is an important distributing point for... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1908 - SCRANTON FACTORY FILLED WITH GIRLS A PREY TO FLAMES. FOUR KILLED AND MANY MEET SERIOUS HURTS
  Several Of The Victims Leaped From The Windows.
  FEARFUL JAM ON A FIRE ESCAPE.
  The Flames Gutted the Interior of the Knitting Mill in Which the Girls Were at Work - Many Rescues By the Firemen.
  
  By Associated Press.
  
  Scranton, January 17 - Four girls were killed, ten seriously injured, and a score or more slightly hurt at a fire in the Imperial Knitting company's mill in Dix court, in the central part of the city this morning. Eighty-five girls were at work on the third floor when a fire broke out on the ground floor where some men were varnishing furniture in a warehouse. It quickly ascended the elevator shaft and drove the girls panic-stricken to the one window opening on the fire escape. The fire escape is one of those in which the last reach of stairs is held in a horizontal position by a wright and pully device. The girls first to reach this were afraid to descend it when they saw its far end moving downward. This caused a jam.
  
  Many Jumped.
  The girls on the upper part of ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1953 - January 1 - WBRE TV channel 28 in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, PA (NBC) 1st broadcast
  
  historyorb.com
  
• 1955 - Hurricane Diane - NINE DEATHS REPORTED IN EASTERN PA. 650 YOUNGSTERS MAROONED; RAIN REACHES 9 INCHES.
  Philadelphia (AP) - Rain-swollen rivers rampaged through eastern Pennsylania today, causing at least nine deaths and isolating towns and cities. The threat was still increasing in some communities.
  The swiftly rising waters marooned 650 youngsters on two island camps in the Delaware River about 10 miles north of Philadelphia. They virtually cut off Scranton and smaller communities from passage, and brought a major flood warning at Bethlehem.
  
  Another 310 persons were stranded in two Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad trains in the Pocono Mountains between Cresco and Tobyhanna. The railroad said the 2nd Army had promised helicopters would try to remove the passengers.
  
  9 Inches Of Rain.
  In addition to the known deaths, other persons were unaccounted for.
  Rains totaled more than 9 inches in one sector.
  
  While Pennsylvania was hardest hit by what was left by Hurricane DIANE, there were floods throughout a wide area of the northeast United States...
  
  ...Details were sent ... Read MORE...
  
  
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• 2023 - Here are some of the top places to go and things to do in Scranton:
  1. Steamtown National Historic Site:
  If you're a history lover, Steamtown National Historic Site is a must-visit. This railroad museum and heritage site is dedicated to preserving the history of steam locomotives and the role they played in shaping the region. You can explore a collection of beautifully restored locomotives, take guided tours, and even hop on a steam train ride through the picturesque countryside.
  
  2. Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour:
  Delve into Scranton's coal mining history with a tour of the Lackawanna Coal Mine. You'll descend 300 feet underground in a coal car and learn about the lives of the miners who worked in these challenging conditions. It's an educational and fascinating experience.
  
  3. Nay Aug Park:
  For a dose of nature and relaxation, head to Nay Aug Park. This urban park features beautiful walking trails, a stunning waterfall, picnic areas, and a treehouse for the kids. It's the perfect spot for a leisurely day outdoors.
  
  4. Montage Mountain... Read MORE...