Mauch Chunk, now Jim Thorpe, was established on the Lehigh River as a shipping depot for anthracite coal in 1818 by Josiah White, a Philadelphia Quaker and brilliant engineer, and his trusted business partner, Erskine Hazard. By 1829, White and Hazard had founded the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company and built an efficient transportation system that moved coal nine miles over the mountains to Mauch Chunk by Switchback Gravity Railroad, and forty-six miles along the Lehigh Canal to Easton. ÃÃWith the arrival of the railroads, the Switchback became a major tourist attraction. As rail excursionists descended on Mauch Chunk to experience a hair-raising ride on AmericaÃs first roller coaster and enjoy the magnificent scenery, the coal shipping town, billed by the railroads as ìthe Switzerland of America,î became a tourist destination second in popularity to Niagara Falls. In a story stranger than fiction, the town exchanged its name for the name of Jim Thorpe when the 1912 Olympic hero was laid to rest there in 1954. Through an extraordinary collection of photographs, Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) tells the story of the athlete and his burial, the Switchback Gravity Railroad, the Lehigh Canal, the social scene, and the townÃs Victorian legacy. Ã
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About the Author
ÃJohn A. Drury is a dedicated historian and collector and the founder of the Mauch Chunk Museum. Joan Gilbert is an accomplished writer, editor, and literary agent. The pair collaborated to create this remarkable history of this truly remarkable place.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another typical Arcadia release.,
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This review is from: Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) (PA) (Images of America) (Paperback)
John H. Drury and Joan Gilbert, Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) (Arcadia, 2001)
Arcadia delivers another slim tome perfect for the armchair traveller, this one on the town now known as Jim Thorpe, PA. Lots of history, lots of pictures. As with many of Arcadia's books, it does lack the thread of continuity that one finds in the best of these, but the writing is competent and the pictures themselves are fascinating. Good stuff. ***
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book,
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This review is from: Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) (PA) (Images of America) (Paperback)
Great book on Jim Thorpe, PA. My mother-in-law wanted it mostly due to the fact that her father was pictured in the book. Great history.
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First Sentence:
In 1791, anthracite coal, dubbed "stone coal" by derisive industrialists, was discovered in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gravity railroad, coal boats, coal cars, engine house Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mauch Chunk, Jim Thorpe, Courtesy Ray Holland, Asa Packer, Lehigh River, Summit Hill, Mount Pisgah, Lehigh Coal, Josiah White, Lehigh Canal, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Jersey Central, Mount Jefferson, Navigation Company, Susquehanna Street, West Broadway, Erskine Hazard, Joe Boyle, New York, American Hotel, Courtesy Harold Queen, Flagstaff Mountain, Race Street, Switchback Gravity Railroad, Upper Division New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In 1791, anthracite coal, dubbed "stone coal" by derisive industrialists, was discovered in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gravity railroad, coal boats, coal cars, engine house Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mauch Chunk, Jim Thorpe, Courtesy Ray Holland, Asa Packer, Lehigh River, Summit Hill, Mount Pisgah, Lehigh Coal, Josiah White, Lehigh Canal, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Jersey Central, Mount Jefferson, Navigation Company, Susquehanna Street, West Broadway, Erskine Hazard, Joe Boyle, New York, American Hotel, Courtesy Harold Queen, Flagstaff Mountain, Race Street, Switchback Gravity Railroad, Upper Division New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
- Reading Railroad (Fast Forward Enrichment Ser) by Barbara Gregorich on page 104
- The Great Depression - How We Coped, Worked and Played: Life-Experience Stories from the Carolinas' Piedmont (1929-41) by Margaret G. Bigger on page 72
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