The Lackawanna Historical Society

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

It's , and no one had more fabulous facial hair than the men of the Tripp family. When Ira Tripp (standing, left) died ...
09/03/2026

It's , and no one had more fabulous facial hair than the men of the Tripp family. When Ira Tripp (standing, left) died in 1891, his obituary recalled him as memorable to many for his "erect form, [and] his immense flowing beard, white as snow." The rest of us can only aspire to such legendary whiskers!

Built in 1903 for the First National Bank, this building at 400 Lackawanna Avenue had a varied life. When First National...
09/02/2026

Built in 1903 for the First National Bank, this building at 400 Lackawanna Avenue had a varied life. When First National merged with Trader’s National Bank in 1929, the building was converted into a post office, Navy recruiting station, and an Internal Revenue Service office. Soon stores began to mix with the offices, and by the late 1940s the buildings offered women’s and men’s shoes at Kay’s and Jay’s shoe stores, as well as Bette Dean women’s fashions, Hope Chest hosiery, and Bargainland. In 1953, Jay’s and Bette Dean closed their doors. The building was once again became government offices- the PA Department of Labor and Industry and Unemployment Compensation offices were in the building until 1971. The building remained vacant through most of the 1970s; an insurance agency and Catholic travel agency briefly occupied spaces in the 1980s. The building, along with several others, was imploded in 1992 to make way for the Steamtown Mall.

The St. Charles Hotel was one of the city’s first hostelries, located at 128 Penn Avenue across from the DL&W railroad t...
09/01/2026

The St. Charles Hotel was one of the city’s first hostelries, located at 128 Penn Avenue across from the DL&W railroad terminal in the heart of the wholesale district. The hotel opened to guests on July 4, 1859 by David Kressler, the former proprietor of the Scranton House. In the 1880s through 1902, under the management of the Brainerd family and later Thomas Melvin, the hotel served as the unofficial headquarters of the local Democratic politics. Another hotel was next door; John Lohmann managed the Conway House at 132-134 Penn Avenue, while Battin’s Hardware occupied the space at 126 Penn. The St. Charles welcomed guests until, unable to compete with hotels offering more modern amenities, it closed in 1911. The building was sold to the Salvation Army and razed in 1913 to make way for a spacious headquarters for the organization. In 1956, the Salvation Army building and several other properties were acquired by the Globe Store to make way for a building expansion project. The buildings were razed to make way for more shopping space as well as parking for the Globe Store.

The first school on Orchard Street in South Side opened in 1864, two years before Scranton became a city. The early stru...
08/28/2026

The first school on Orchard Street in South Side opened in 1864, two years before Scranton became a city. The early structure was replaced in 1900 with this Victorian-style brick schoolhouse with a slate roof and cupola. It was known as No. 2 school until it was renamed for poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1915. A needed renovation in 1965 removed the cupola and changed the roofline; the new building contained 12 classrooms, a health room, library, music room, and teachers lounge. In 2009, the school was torn down and replaced with a larger, modern structure. Students used the nearby St. Mary’s school on River Street until construction was complete. The new building opened in January 2011, with space for 450 students in preschool through fifth grade.

One of the first school buildings in Scranton was a 9' x 12' structure near Providence Corners, built in 1834. Around 18...
08/27/2026

One of the first school buildings in Scranton was a 9' x 12' structure near Providence Corners, built in 1834. Around 1850, it was replaced with a larger wood-frame structure called the Providence Central School, which contained nine classrooms. As the school district expanded, it was renamed the No. 25 school. The school was destroyed by fire in 1891.

Here's a crowd heading : in this 1910 postcard, dozens stream toward the main entrance of Scranton Central High School,...
08/26/2026

Here's a crowd heading : in this 1910 postcard, dozens stream toward the main entrance of Scranton Central High School, built in 1895. The school's setting on a hill overlooking Downtown was once part of a residential neighborhood- you can see some of those neighboring houses along Vine Street on the left, before the First Church of Christ Scientist (now the Lackawanna County Children's Library) was built in 1914.

Are you ready for ? Do you know what classes you have? The Scranton Times captured the bustle of scheduling 2,200 West ...
08/25/2026

Are you ready for ? Do you know what classes you have? The Scranton Times captured the bustle of scheduling 2,200 West Scranton High School students in 1961: in this photo, principal Henry Geiss waits for the final schedules from clerks Mary Creegan and Mary Louise Kudajeski.

Lackawanna Past Times returns next Friday, August 28 at 2pm! We'll be joined by Glynnis Johns, founder and CEO of the Bl...
08/21/2026

Lackawanna Past Times returns next Friday, August 28 at 2pm! We'll be joined by Glynnis Johns, founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project to talk about the Civil Rights movement in Scranton.
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Today is ! Not just a source of music and entertainment, radio is an important source of news and weather, even in emer...
08/20/2026

Today is ! Not just a source of music and entertainment, radio is an important source of news and weather, even in emergencies. The Scranton Times began providing news broadcasts over the airwaves in 1923, with reporters phoning in updates for announcers to read later. By the 1950s, WEJL had several radio cars and mobile studios like this one, likely reporting on flood damage from Hurricane Diane in 1955.

This mid-century postcard presents a view of the bustling shopping and theater district on Wyoming Avenue. St. Peter’s C...
08/19/2026

This mid-century postcard presents a view of the bustling shopping and theater district on Wyoming Avenue. St. Peter’s Cathedral and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church are visible in the foreground, while further down the block the marquees for the Comerford Theater and State Theater can be seen. Shopping and dining were also available, from an A&P market, Henry’s 5 & 10 cent store, or Russell’s confectioner to the Savoy Restaurant, Yacht Bar saloon, or Tip Toe Inn restaurant. The aircraft beacon atop the Bank Towers building is visible in the background.

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232 Monroe Avenue
Scranton, PA
18510

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