Lackawanna Heritage Valley

The Engine of Industry

Background of LHVA

· Became the first Pennsylvania Heritage area in 1991.

· Located in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Includes the watershed area of Lackawanna River in Susquehanna, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Luzerne counties.

· The Lackawanna Valley’s story is both unique and distinctly American. Settled in the early 1800s, the rugged frontier valley rapidly grew to be a hub of commerce and manufacturing because of the enormous anthracite coal reserves just below the surface. The Pennsylvania Anthracite Region eventually produced 80 percent of the world’s anthracite coal, a clean, hot-burning fuel that was perfect for running machines and building empires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scranton

-Historians consider Scranton the industrial center of the region. The huge coal industry, iron and steel production, railroading and railroad building, food processing, large-scale fabrication, and textiles all played a significant role in the area’s growth. The region became the powerful engine that drove America’s Industrial Revolution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“America’s Immigrant Destination”

-Between 1860 and 1910 industrial activity in the Lackawanna Valley expanded dramatically. This huge magnet drew thousands of new immigrants to one of the most densely populated places of 19^th century America. In the process of supplying energy to the nation and the world, these new Americans built lives, families, communities, and a rich heritage.