The Lackawanna Historical Society

The Lackawanna Historical Society Inspiring exploration of the history of Lackawanna County

Here's a bygone view captured in the Scranton Times' archive: a view from the parking lot of the Lackawanna Station, aro...
06/04/2026

Here's a bygone view captured in the Scranton Times' archive: a view from the parking lot of the Lackawanna Station, around 1965. Across Jefferson Avenue, the Dean Phipps automotive store sits next to the offices of Pennsylvania Gas & Water. The last passenger train left the station in January 1970; the building sat empty until it was renovated as a hotel and reopened for a New Year's Eve bash in 1983.

It's , and we're taking our collections on the road! We've loaned two of our vintage bicycles to our friends at the Lac...
06/03/2026

It's , and we're taking our collections on the road! We've loaned two of our vintage bicycles to our friends at the Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area for their "High Wheels to Heritage" exhibit, on display now in their Railroad Avenue headquarters. Want to take a spin on a (new) bike instead? LHVA also manages a BikeShare program, with bikes available at their offices and other locations. Borrow a bike and settle in for a spin on the nearby Lackawanna River Heritage Trail! https://lhva.org/BikeShare.php

Opened around 1900, the Providence Auditorium, at 1821 N. Main Avenue, hosted everything from dance lessons to union ral...
06/02/2026

Opened around 1900, the Providence Auditorium, at 1821 N. Main Avenue, hosted everything from dance lessons to union rallies, military balls to Welsh singing contests. Local amateur theatre groups met to practice and perform, while bowling lanes and a basketball court catered to the more athletic. The building was sold and converted into a silk mill in 1917; it was later home to the Munyon Remedy Company, manufacturers of alcoholic "health tonics." Today, the building contains apartments, although the facade has been significantly altered.

The Col. John Jenkins collection was compiled largely thanks to the Colonel's grandson, Steuben. A lawyer and dedicated ...
06/01/2026

The Col. John Jenkins collection was compiled largely thanks to the Colonel's grandson, Steuben. A lawyer and dedicated historian, Steuben served two terms in the Pennsylvania legislature but is best remembered as a collector and antiquarian well versed in the history of Luzerne County. These pages are in Steuben's hand, describing the various Native American terms that have taken root in the region; the manuscript also contains names that have shifted or evolved from their roots over time, such as Scahandawanna, which was replaced by Chi wa muck or Wyomick or Wyoming. Steuben died in 1890, before completing his manuscript history of the Wyoming Valley.

Join us with the Scranton Area Community Foundation at the Century Club on Monday, June 8 at 5:30pm for a special progra...
05/30/2026

Join us with the Scranton Area Community Foundation at the Century Club on Monday, June 8 at 5:30pm for a special program about the Justice Bell, a 1915 symbol of the fight for women's suffrage! Scranton has ties to the bell- Kate Chapman, leader of the Lackawanna County Equal Franchise League, toured the state with the Justice Bell. A historical marker for Kate sits in front of the Century Club. Make your reservations here: https://safdn.org/event/justice-bell-pennsylvania-women-and-their-fight-for-the-vote/

The Hotel Casey had five dining spaces, but perhaps more importantly, it had an extensive cocktail menu. (The Casey brot...
05/29/2026

The Hotel Casey had five dining spaces, but perhaps more importantly, it had an extensive cocktail menu. (The Casey brothers fortune came from brewing and wholesale liquor sales, after all.) Entitled "Liquid Jewels from the Cask of Bacchus," it included a cocktail named The Casey as well as "another drink dispensed of malt and spirituous cheer" called the Anthracite Mint Julep. For the temperate, the hotel also served Casey Cliff spring water from the family farm in Glenburn.

Scranton's Hotel Casey, opened in January 1911, included an Italian-style dining room, a grill room, banquet rooms, and ...
05/28/2026

Scranton's Hotel Casey, opened in January 1911, included an Italian-style dining room, a grill room, banquet rooms, and the elegant Tudor-style "Palm Room," shown in this 1913 Board of Trade publication. Originally intended as a lighter space for ladies, the Palm Room was closed only two years after the hotel opened, with plans to convert the space into a pharmacy. It was redesigned as a dining room again in 1916, hosting orchestras and dancing, and converted again to a utilitarian cafeteria in 1919.

Are you feeling lucky?When the first tickets for the Pennsylvania lottery went on sale on March 7, 1972, most area vendo...
05/27/2026

Are you feeling lucky?

When the first tickets for the Pennsylvania lottery went on sale on March 7, 1972, most area vendors reported selling out within hours. Each 50-cent ticket gave purchasers a chance at more than 1,200 cash prizes ranging from $40 to $50,000 per million tickets sold, with a bonus $1,000,000 prize offered when tickets sales reached six million. Winning numbers were published in the newspaper; television and radio hosts were prohibited from announcing winners over the air. The first lucky number for a $50,000 winner was 447324-- obviously not this ticket in the LHS collection!

Explore your hometown! We're excited to announce our schedule of FREE architectural walking tours for this summer, each ...
05/26/2026

Explore your hometown! We're excited to announce our schedule of FREE architectural walking tours for this summer, each exploring a different part of Downtown Scranton. Mark your calendars, and please call the Society at 570-344-3841 to reserve your spot!

Happy ! Scranton native Frank J. Duffy was an electrical contractor who worked for the DL&W Railroad. When the US joine...
05/25/2026

Happy ! Scranton native Frank J. Duffy was an electrical contractor who worked for the DL&W Railroad. When the US joined the Great War in 1917, Duffy joined up as a Major with the Army’s 109th Engineer Regiment. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on April 3, 1918, he was in France with the 28th Division in May 1918. Duffy was killed while on a reconnaissance mission on August 17, 1918 near Courville, France.
Lt. Col. Duffy is buried at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, but his legacy was preserved locally when Colonel Frank J. Duffy Memorial Park was established in Scranton in 1934. A statue of ‘The Spirit of the American Doughboy” was dedicated to Duffy in 1940. The statue was removed in 2016 during construction of the Harrison Avenue bridge; in 2018 Col. Francis J. Duffy Memorial Park was redesigned and a replica statue rededicated.

Address

232 Monroe Avenue
Scranton, PA
18510

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 3pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Lackawanna Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category