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1893 Map of Hazleton

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Hazleton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

The anthracite coal region of Northeastern Pennsylvania is defined here by the industrial alignment of ridges and valleys in the late nineteenth century. Hazleton serves as a major urban center, surrounded by a dense network of mining patches and company towns like Jeddo, Eckley, and Lattimer. The landscape is physically divided by the Mauch Chunk Mountains and Buck Mountain, with narrow valleys carved by Black Creek and Nesquehoning Creek.

A complex web of competing rail lines, including the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Mahanoy Branch of Lehigh Valley RR, trace the coal seams through the mountains. Notably, the southern portion of the map highlights the proximity of Lansford, Summit Hill, and Coaldale, where gravity railroads like the Down Track were instrumental in moving fuel from the hills to the market. The map illustrates the era when these settlements were at their height as vital nodes in the American energy economy.