1893 Map of Scranton

About this map

Scranton is the undeniable industrial anchor of this late 19th-century landscape, shown here at the height of its growth as a premier center of anthracite coal production and iron manufacturing. The dense grid of the city and its surrounding boroughs, including Dunmore and Hyde Park, is tied together by a complex web of rail infrastructure, most notably the Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad. This network follows the valley of the Lackawanna River, connecting string-town settlements like Olyphant, Dickson, and Priceburg. To the east, the Moosic Mountains provide a sharp topographical contrast, where the landscape transitions from industrial valley to timbered ridges and water resources like Moosic Lake and the Scranton Reservoir. The map reveals how the geography of the Lackawanna Valley dictated the expansion of the coal industry, with transport lines like the Carbondale R. R. clinging to the valley floor while residential areas climbed the surrounding hillsides.