Historic 

The wireless radio, Mr. Peanut, home-use of anthracite coal, HBO, mutual funds, MCI, the motion picture industry, No. 2 pencils, five and dime retail marketing, FEMA and Emily Post all have Wilkes-Barre in common.  Whether it was nurtured, pioneered or first founded in Wilkes-Barre, the Diamond City has significantly contributed to the American economy and the American dream.

 

Founded in 1769, as a result of the first westward expansion by Connecticut Yankees, Wilkes-Barre and the Wyoming Valley moved in less than one hundred years from an agrarian economy to one that fueled the industrial revolution helping to make America what it is today.

 

Named for John Wilkes and Isaac Barré, two outspoken British parliamentarians in support of the American colonists, Wilkes-Barre has a proud heritage -- a heritage that your business will be proud to call their own.

Some Historical Sites:

Eckley Miners' Village
RR #2 Box 236 Weatherly, PA 18255
(570) 636-2070

Young and old will learn about the hardships and triumphs of the coal miner and his family with a visit to Eckley's Miner Village. Built in 1854 and owned by coal companies for 115 years, the town is now part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Anthracite Museum Complex. A National Registered District, the village is a living history site dedicated to the immigrants who worked in the area is anthracite coal mines.

 

 

Historic Hanson's Dance Hall & Pavilion
Pole 151
Harvey's Lake, PA 18618

Lyman H. Howe Mansion
30 Riverside Dr.
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

The Lion Brewery, Inc
700 N. Pennsylvania Boulevard
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705
(800) 233-8327

 Built in 1901 as the Luzerne County Brewing Company, its name was changed to the Lion Brewery in 1933 when it was bought by Ted Smulowitz and Leo Schwartz. The Smulowitz family owned and operated the brewery until 1993 when the company went public. Today The Lion Brewery brews not only beer including the Stegmaier label which is another Wilkes-Barre historical staple but also soft drinks and non-alcoholic malt beverages. Tours of the brewery are available by reservation only.

Luzerne Civil War Monument
Benett St.
Luzerne, PA 18709

 This monument was erected to honor the unit stationed at an encampment on the town is farmlands. This unit participated in numerous battles at Gettysburg.

 Luzerne County Historical Society
49 South Franklin Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
(570) 822-1727
http://www.luzernecountyhistory.com/

 Founded in 1858, the Society chronicles the history of the Wyoming Valley from prehistoric times to the present in three floors of exhibits.

Nathan Denison House
35 Denison St.
Forty Fort, PA 18704
(570) 288-5531

The Swetland Homestead
885 Wyoming Avenue
Wyoming, PA 18644
(570) 822-1727
http://luzernehistory.org/?page_id=48

 Located just across the Susquehanna River from Wilkes-Barre in Forty Fort, is the Nathan Denison House which was built in 1790 by an early settler from Connecticut. The Swetland Homestead is a short distance from the Denison House on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming. Both give visitors an insight to early American living and architecture.

 

 

Stoney Acres Winery
476 Berwick-Hazelton Hwy.
Nescopek, PA 18635
(570) 379-4771

http://www.stoneyacreswinery.net/

 Wilkes-Barre Walking Tour

http://wilkes-barre.org/pages/livinghere/tour

 From the Luzerne County Courthouse to Wilkes-Barre City Hall; from churches an synagogues to restored mansions; from the Market Street Bridge to the Osterhout Free Library; visitors who take a walking tour of Wilkes-Barre will see a wide range of architectural styles an history living on through renovated buildings and structures. The tour begins on Public Square and a self-guided tour brochure is available.