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History of Jim
Thorpe, Pennsylvania
From its beginning, the town
of Jim Thorpe has had a curious history, which continues
to this day. Founded as a transportation hub for the booming
coal industry of the early 1800's, the town was initially
planned to be farther up the Lehigh Valley, where the
Nesquehoning creek comes gently into the river. However,
due to a land dispute, the town's founders decided to
use the steep valley between two close mountains as the
site for their company town. (The Lehigh Coal and Navigation
Company is the resulting company from these early ventures.)
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From a ridge above the townsite, the mountain across the river
resembles a sleeping bear, so the town below was christened
Mauch Chunk, which means 'sleeping bear' in the language of
the native Americans who inhabited the area. Mauch Chunk prospered
as the Civil War and Industrial Revolution of the 1800's demanded
more and more fuel. Coal powered much of Americas industry during
this time, so the Lehigh canal and (later) railroads were kept
busy transporting the 'black diamonds' to industrial towns like
Bethlehem, New York City and Philadelphia.
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To get the mined coal from
the open-pit area of Summit Hill down to the river at
Mauch Chunk, engineers devised an ingenious Gravity
Railroad that coasted tons of coal over 8 miles down
a slight grade to a point above town where it was chuted
into barges or railcars. Known as the Switchback (for
the old mule trail that it replaced), this was the world's
first working railroad and enabled Mauch Chunk to get
more coal onto river or rail quicker than other transportation
systems. This translated into more revenue, and more
investment, which demanded more workers. The mine work
itself was filthy, low-paying and treacherous.
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Many a man was carried out of the mines after injury or death,
and many were not carried out - they're still down there…
Conditions were so bad at some places that miners banded together
in Strikes for improved conditions, and eventually Unions were
formed to fight for the working man. Most famous of these was
the group nicknamed the "Molly Maguires," of which
seventeen were hung for various crimes. Five hung at the county
jail in Mauch Chunk, and the legend of the handprint of innocence
lives to this day. Unions tried to better the working environment,
but the mine owners had more power, and conditions were never
good. Men risked their lives daily for miniscule wages, and
the ones who weren't physically harmed were poisoning themselves
slowly by breathing coal dust. Black Lung disease was a major
cause of death among miners. Still, immigrants and city-folk
came to the area in search of work, and there were always the
sons of miners, most who never had a chance to get away.
With the influx of people, Mauch Chunk soon stretched far
up the narrow valley astride its namesake creek, jumped up
onto the point of Mt. Pisgah above the downtown, and even
spread across the river onto a more hospitable site (the East
Side of town). Prosperity came very quickly, and Mauch Chunk
was home to over 5,000 people. Although mining was a large
part of the commerce and culture of the general area, Mauch
Chunk itself was mainly a transportation town, and so was
a bit ahead of other towns in economics, lifestyle, and culture.
There was so much money in town from moving coal to market
that by the late 1800's it was one of the richest towns in
America. As a matter of fact, at one time 13 millionaires
called Mauch Chunk home, quite a record for a town of only
5,000. Grand architecture was a by-product of the wealth,
as company managers outdid each other with the design and
construction of their homes. Foremost of the homes are the
Packer Mansions, both built by Asa Packer who founded the
Lehigh Valley Railroad that transported a large percentage
of the area's coal output. Below these mansions, both literally
and figuratively, are the homes of millionaire's row, located
on Broadway. Along with the private buildings, the wealth
of the LC&N and LVRR contributed to some great public
buildings that include the county courthouse, YMCA, Library,
Opera House, and train station, as well as churches and school
buildings throughout town. Even the homes of many workers
had unique styling and charm - just look at Race Street. Townspeople
enjoyed a style of life that most in the region never experienced,
but just like everything in America, things changed in Mauch
Chunk.
In the late 1800's, as steam locomotives made it even easier
to get coal from mines to market, the Switchback Railroad
became obsolete… until people found out it was FUN! What
was the first working railroad then became the world's first
Roller Coaster, and people came from far and wide to ride
the thrilling 16-mile, 45 minute figure-8 shaped track. At
the same time, the town started to reap the benefits of its
unique architecture and natural surroundings, as people visited
to experience what was dubbed the 'Switzerland of America.'
With the beauty of Glen Onoko's waterfalls and Flagstaff Park's
views within a short distance, the river and mountains all
around, a great thrill-ride, and wonderful town, Mauch Chunk
was an East-Coast mecca for tourists. In fact, around the
turn of the 20th century, this town was the second most popular
tourist destination in America (Niagara Falls was first).
Meanwhile, coal was still being hauled by the LC&N and
LVRR, but the changes had begun.
Between 1900 and 1950, many changes in American society were
taking place, and sometimes at a rapid pace. The Industrial
Revolution culminated in the production lines of Henry Ford
and soon America had wheels. Good for people, bad for Mauch
Chunk. Cars needed gas… gas demands oil. As more and
more people got cars, less and less relied on steam locomotives
that were powered by coal. Then oil refining became more productive
and soon factories and many engines were converted to oil
or gas power, and less coal was needed. By the time of the
Great Depression, coal was falling quickly out of favor as
fuel for industry. The mines and railroads carried on, but
operations were greatly reduced from their peak of the late-1800's.
By the 1950's, coal was definitely out-of-favor, and the area
showed the effects of a greatly-depressed economy. Even after
other areas had come out of the depression of the 30's, Mauch
Chunk could not pull itself up. Having relied solely on coal
transportation for so much of its economy, the town was not
poised to do anything else. Businesses that once supported
the coal industry now moved out of town, buildings were vacant,
people were living in poverty. One of the richest towns in
America was now struggling to survive. At points during these
low times, the town had to demolish many vacant buildings
that posed a threat to public safety. Many beautiful homes
and commercial buildings were lost. In a now-fortuitous economic
dilemma, the town was so poor it could not afford to demolish
every building planned, so some of the architecture survived!
A few local businesses persevered through the lean times -
a fur company operated for many years, and a purse factory
opened in the old high school. A few companies moved in and
out, and the town foundered on, but again things always change,
and another cycle was starting for Mauch Chunk.
In the early-1950's, a group of forward-thinking residents
rallied their neighbors to look for some economic stimulus
to get the town back on its feet. Though times were hard,
the group started a fund, whereby families would contribute
a 'Nickel-a-week' until there was enough money to do something
for the collective good. A few years into the search, a weird
coincidence arose, in which the widow of Native American athletic
hero Jim Thorpe was looking for a place to bury her husband.
Living a version of the American dream, Jim Thorpe accomplished
great things in his life (Olympic gold, Pro Baseball/Football,
and more) but ended up dying with little in actual money.
Money is what Mauch Chunk had at this point, around $30,000
of nickels! Somehow Mrs. Thorpe got in contact with the townspeople
and an agreement was struck - Jim Thorpe would be buried and
honored by the town of Mauch Chunk, which would even change
its name in recognition of the American hero, who had never
even been to the town. In early 1954 he got his own property,
a lovely plot of land on the East Side of town that holds
a beautiful mausoleum and small plaza with plaques describing
Mr. Thorpe's many accomplishments. And the town changed names.
Supposedly, this whole venture would be good for tourism,
but the town was quite split over the issue. (To this day,
some folks call themselves 'Chunkers' to protest the action.)
Although the events of 1954 have had many effects on the
town, not much has changed in the economic or industrial status
of Jim Thorpe - there are still no major companies in town,
and most people have to travel to find work. However, just
as in the late-1800's when people came to the 'Switzerland
of America' for scenic beauty and thrill-rides, the 1980's
were a renaissance for those aspects of town. People from
other areas re-discovered the beautiful architecture of downtown,
they came back to the mountains to hike and bike and enjoy
nature, they came to enjoy the history of the area. The world's
first railroad and roller coaster is now a wonderful walking/biking
path, and the prosperous Lehigh Valley Railroad is now one
of the best rail-trails anywhere in America. Attractions like
these have drawn people to the area, and they even started
to move here, reversing the trend from the previous six decades,
and gradually the town has rebounded. Vacant buildings that
were spared the wrecking ball have been remodeled into quaint
shops and homes, and the downtown is now a national model
for historic revitalization. Artists took to the town early,
and now there are almost 20 studios and galleries, most of
which can be visited. Tourism is the leading industry, and
many businesses offer services to help visitors enjoy all
the area has to offer. When you visit Mary's Guesthouse, you
will be right in the middle of all this, able to explore and
adventure through nature, history and culture - we hope to
see you soon!
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