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- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Carbondale is a city in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carbondale is located approximately 15 miles due northeast of the city of Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 8,891 at the 2010 census.
The land area that became Carbondale was developed by William and Maurice Wurts, the founders of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, during the rise of the anthracite coal mining industry in the early 19th century. Carbondale was the site of the first underground mine in the United States. It was also a major terminal of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad.
Like many other cities and towns in the region, Carbondale has struggled with the demise of the once-prominent coal mining industry that had once made the region a haven for immigrants seeking work so many decades ago. Immigrants from Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, and from throughout continental Europe came to Carbondale in the course of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries to work in the anthracite and railroading industries, and, most importantly, to build new lives for themselves and their families.
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Today, the Carbondale Historical Society and Museum records and maintains that history. The Carbondale City Hall and Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Notable "firsts"
- 1829: the Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad from Carbondale to Honesdale began operations on October 9, 1829. This was the first commercially successful railroad to operate in America.
- 1831: the first deep underground anthracite coal mine in America was opened here in 1831 just West of the Seventh Avenue crossing on the Delaware & Hudson tracks.
- 1833: the first Saint Patrick's Day parade in what is now Lackawanna County is held in Carbondale, as stated in the Scranton Times-Tribune: “It comes as no surprise that the Irish people of Carbondale would want to celebrate the patron saint of their homeland. [. . .] The Feb. 28, 1833, issue of the Northern Pennsylvanian, the first newspaper published in Carbondale, contained a notice to “Hibernians” of a public meeting to be held [. . .] ‘for the purpose of taking measures to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.’ [. . .] The Carbondale parade is the first one mentioned in any history of the region that is now Lackawanna County.”
- 1850: the first eisteddfod (a Welsh musical and literary festival) in America was held in Carbondale on Christmas Day, 1850. Among the literarians and musicians who attended were Daniel Davies, Rev. John Moses, Thomas Eynon, Rev. Thomas J. Phillips, and Edward Jones. These were the pioneer eisteddofdwyr of America.
- 1851: Carbondale was incorporated as a city in Luzerne County on March 15, 1851, making it the oldest city (the "Pioneer" city) in what later became Lackawanna County, and the fourth oldest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- 1853: the first lodge in America of the ancient Welsh fraternal order of Ivorites was opened in Carbondale in the fall of 1853; the first public Ivorite celebration in America took place in Carbondale in August 1855, when a procession and other public exercises took place, under the direction of Thomas Voyle, Esquire, chief marshal, and Edward Roberts, Esquire.
- 1859: the first anthracite coal breaker in America, the Racket Brook Breaker, was erected by the D&H, adjacent to the company's coal and rail operations in the vicinity of the Artesian Well.
Notable natives
- Joseph Bambera, current Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton
- William J. Goebel, Democratic politician and 34th Governor of Kentucky serving for 3 days in 1900 before his death. He was the only sitting Governor to have been assassinated.
- Robert Wood Johnson I, an American entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the company Johnson & Johnson.
- General Jerome F. O'Malley, U.S. Air Force 4-star general
- Terence V. Powderly, a well-known national figure as leader of the Knights of Labor from 1879 to 1893. Twice elected Mayor of Scranton, PA.
- Andy Seigle, Professional basketball player for the Philippine Basketball Association, though born in Scranton, is a Carbondale native and the all time leading scorer at Carbondale Area High School. He played for the University of New Orleans.
- Danny Seigle, Professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association. A standout at Wagner College, Danny led the Carbondale Area High School Chargers to 108-5 record in 4 years and a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AA Championship in 1993. Danny is a native of Carbondale.
- James Archbald, born 1793, Little Cumbrae island, Ayrshire Coast, Scotland. First Mayor of Carbondale.
- Joseph R. Sarnoski, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient (World War II)
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