After leaving our campsite in Willington, Connecticut and a visit with the Philbins (Dana, Jason, Mackenzie and Graham), we headed to eastern Pennsylvania and the former town of Mauch Chunk, which has been renamed Jim Thorpe. The name of Mauch Chunk is derived from the Lenape phrase “Mawssch Unk” and translates to “Bear Mountain” or “Sleeping Bear, referring to the shape of a nearby mountain. We headed to the Jim Thorpe memorial first as that was the main reason for traveling here. I took the following pictures of some of the plaques on the monument, as some may not realize how great of an athlete Jim Thorpe actually was.
Some of the basic information about the athlete:
There were a lot of politics surrounding Jim and his winning two gold medals in the 1912 Olympics, the return (and loss of) his two solid gold medals and trophy, the theft of his shoes during the events, the post Olympic accusations and on. The medals and trophy were never found, the shoe incident was never solved (although local thoughts put the blame on the same person who quit for being so far behind Jim in points in the Olympics) and the International Olympic Committee said it was an American issue. Eventually, after his death his status was reinstated. He truly was the best athlete in world, in a nation that did not accept him
There are two monuments to Jim at this memorial, one for his football prowess and one for his Olympic accomplishments. It is interesting to note that in football he literally ran over West Point’s David Eisenhower and teammates Omar Bradley and George Patten! The third monument (soon to be unveiled) will be for his baseball. He also excelled in ice hockey.
This is a neat church spire as seen from downtown.
The original Leigh Coal and Navigation Building is shown above. Anthracite coal was discovered at this location in 1791, which fueled the Industrial Revolution in America. This company was founded in 1820.
The three photos above are of downtown Jim Thorpe. This is Broadway, the main street through the town. A block up the street, it narrows and parking is on one side, by permit only. When someone double parks, it totally closes the street. It is the narrowest street I have ever driven, with a motorhome and towing a pickup, no less! I actually ran over a curb while missing an oncoming car and brushed an antique light pole but no damage. We found an easier way out of town, needless to say. During the height of the coal business, Broadway had more millionaires living on a couple of blocks than anywhere in America. The homes are still there and still occupied, but not by millionaires. An aqueduct runs under the homes on the left side of the street.
This aqueduct was built with limestone linings on both sides and the bottom. It goes underground for a total of about seven miles. This is where it comes out in the open before going back underground in about 100 feet to the left. I understand that locals have made the walk through the tunnels. Sounds like fun with the proper headlamp!
This is the clock tower on the corner of Broadway and Hazard Square.
This is the home of one of the richest man in America at the time, Asa Packer. Asa was the founder of Leigh University an heavily involved in coal production during a time where demand outstripped supply.
This home is located next to Asa’s home; his son Harry Packer owned it. It was used as the model for the haunted mansion ride at Disneyland and is used in multiple locations.
The Dimmick Memorial Library is located on the second block of Broadway. The cornerstone for this building was laid in 1889 and the library was completed in 1890 at a total cost of $12,000.
This is a tunnel formally used by the Leigh Mining Companies to transport coal from the mines to the barges on the Lehigh river. It is located within the Lehigh Gorge State Park. We saw a mama deer and fawn while entering this area. It is fenced off to keep people out and this exit is about twenty feet above the river.
Cathy and I had a late lunch at the Hotel Switzerland. They had twelve different Irish whiskeys to choose from. The Irish were pretty prominent in the mining areas.
This probably settles the issue of the “Infrastructure Bill” payments in Jim Thorpe.
While walking past the jail, I became fully aware of the Irish influences in mining. We were told of the jail by a local trolley driver. Now I look forward to reading the history of the “Molly Maguires”.
Travelling with the Schinglers 