Life in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania

The city of Nanticoke is located alongside the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley of northeastern Pennsylvania, an area known for its anthracite coal mining past. A statue of a miner greets visitors to the city, but the once prominent coal breakers no longer dot the skyline. The city is more than simply a former mining town, however. It has a rich history that involved silk, textile and other manufacturing along with many cultural institutions and vibrant social organizations. National events influenced the course of the city's history, but local events also had an impact on the country. As evidenced by the number of strikes appearing in the timeline below (as this is only a partial listing), simply earning a living was a struggle for its residents: women and children as well as men. The trolleys are gone, factories and other historical buildings demolished, and the culm banks flattened, but the legacy of the residents who contributed to the city's vibrant history deserves to be remembered and honored.

If you have photographs, documents or artifacts of Nanticoke, please consider sharing them with the Nanticoke Historical Society.

Resources for further study

Ciesla, C. Charles. 1694-1994 History of Hanover Township: Including the Boroughs of Ashley, Sugar Notch, and Warrior Run and Portions of Nanticoke City. [Slocum Township, PA]: C. Charles Ciesla, 2002.

Ciesla, C. Charles. History of Nanticoke City and Newport Township, 1703-2003. [Nanticoke, Pa.]: [Nanticoke Historical Society], 2003.

Shirk, Willis L, and Frank M. Suran. Documenting Pennsylvania's Past: The First Century of the Pennsylvania State Archives. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2003.

Zaremba, Chester J. Nanticoke. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2011. Available from the Nanticoke Historical Society, www.nanticokehistoryonline.org

Znaniecki, Jule. Bi-centennial, 1776-1976. Nanticoke, Pa.: Nanticoke Bicentennial Committee, 1976.