Nesquehoning High School Band 1935. Director Mr. Chubb. Some people in picture are: Jack Yasson, Puggy Polohovich, Steve Kopie, John Dustan, John Conway, John Williams, Albert Reese, Lamour Mertz, Ben Arthur, Steve Kuzma, Jack Culley, Cromwell Williams, Russell Wildoner, John Perbetsky, Elwood Whitehead, Jerry Moskerinetz, Nelson Davis, Steve Yacubich, Joe Elasic, Ed Marsdan, John Andreosky, Andy Bincerowsky, John Houser, Ellis Lewis, Bunk Brennan, Nick Krawciew, John Homyak, Mike Mikovich, Sam Donald, Paul Valusek, Dan Drigan, Ed Whitehead, Winnie Whitehead, John Ronemus, Joe Sniscak, Harry Smith, Sal Greco, Steve Katchen, Russell Reabold, Dave Conway, Bobby Dunstan, John Katchen, John Corby, Harry Newton, George Mikovich, Roy Ronemus, Alex Polohovich, George Watson, Bob Corby, Arthur Morgan, Tom Ulshafer, Bill Anderson, Joe DeSantis. 

This photo shows the Nesquehoning breaker and timber to be used in the mines. At one time the forests surrounding Nesquehoning were described as being made of gigantic hemlock trees, and were being used up at a rate of 400 acres per year. A newspaper article from November 23, 1850 describes one of the trees. "Tree cut down in Nesquehoning produced 10 logs - each 18 feet long - the butt log being 4 1/2 feet in diameter at the large end and four feet at the small end. It produced 1,655 feet of three-inch planks. The ten logs combined sawed 5,035 feet of lumber. The tree was perfectly solid, and it required 13 mules and 2 yoke of oxen to draw the butt log from the place where the tree was cut down to the mill."

The first two blocks of East Railroad Street were known as "Red Row." These were houses built by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. In 1902, the rent was six dollars per month, which included one ton of coal provided every month by the company, These were the most expensive houses the company had. Others were rented for as little as one dollar per month. 

This photo was taken at Little Italy in 1914. Man on left is Milan Skodacek. Man on right is Joseph Gall and his daughter Mary is looking out the window. Little Italy was located southwest of Nesquehoning, and consisted of 25 to 35 houses. Angelo Vito Bochicchio was supposed to be the founder in the year 1890. In 1918 the LC&N Co. needed all the coal they could mine. They knew a large deposit of coal was under the village, and they wanted and needed it badly. The company decided the town had to be destroyed to get at the large vein of coal. A tract of land north of Nesquehoning was picked as the site for the new town. The company sent two large groups of carpenters and laborers to move the houses, the church and school to the new location. This new town was first called "New Town" and then "Little Italy." But the people under the leadership of Frank Romano, who picked out the site for the town in the first place, gave it the appropriate name of New Columbus.

The Hauto power plant was placed in operation by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in 1913. It was the world's largest anthracite-burning power plant. Water was pumped from the Hauto dam, heated and turned into steam. The hot water from the plant would return to the dam via a canal. This canal was a good place to go swimming, even in cool weather. The plant was closed in 1969 and in 1973 demolition began and took three years to complete. 

Early dirt streets were ankle deep mud in spring and in the summer months a passing car would create a choking dust cloud. This 1933 photo shows a new two-lane concrete road being built. Man standing on left is Philip DeAngelis and Andrew Zulick is next to truck. The building on left is Jack Hughes General Store. It was one of the town's biggest business places. He had three horse-drawn wagons to make deliveries to Nesquehoning, New Columbus and Hauto. This is the present site of Slim's Place. 

Nesquehoning Hose Co. #1 was organized in 1908 and a substantial firehouse was built in 1911 at the corner of Center and School streets, also known as the "Five Points." They had 50 members, a 1908 Mack truck and a horse-drawn hose reel with2000 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose. Whistle on locomotives at timber plane was used as town fire alarm. In 1930 they had 200 members, 1 Hahn pumper and hose truck with350 gpm pump, 1200 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose, 1 Hahn hook and ladder and chemical truck, two 60 gal. chemical tanks, 212 ft. of ladders, 800 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose in reverse. Alarm given by siren at firehouse, Gamewell system with9 boxes. 

This picture was taken in the late 1800's at the intersection of Railroad & Allen streets. This street has been known as Tunnel Hill, Red Road, the short cut, the road behind the baseball field. It was the main road to Lansford until the new western triangle entrance to the community was completed in the 1950's. The building on right was Mermon's Store. The small white house belonged to Kurash. The building on the left was LC&N Company Store. In the l880's it was converted into apartments and is still in use today. 

The Central Hotel, also known as the Stone Tavern is said to be one of the first buildings erected in Nesquehoning. When people traveled by stagecoach this hotel provided overnight accommodations. It was first operated by a man named Clark, later by Benjamin Klippinger and in 1883 by Thomas "Kelly" Watson. In the early 1900's when this picture was taken, it shows A. Bechtel as proprietor. Another proprietor of the popular tavern was "Old Mike Chuma." In the early 1940's, the American Legion Post 172 purchased it for eight thousand dollars. 

Nesquehoning's 1945 team won the Panther Valley Championship. Front: Duke Yurchak, Buck Watto, Willie Damian, Wiggy Watto, Joe Yatsko, Pete Lorchak, Mike Kurash. Back: Coach Tony Mezza, Vic Mikovich, Jake Maurer, Bob Drigan, Low Higgins, Assistant Coach Sam Pagano. New uniforms of maroon and gold were ordered, but only the jerseys arrived, so they had to wear last year's worn-out pants that were Kelly green. They beat Lansford for the first time in 14 years by a score of 26-0. This was also the first time Coach Tony Mezza's team beat Ken Millen's Tamaqua squad, 14-0. Nesquehoning beat Summit Hill 26-0. Tony Mezza had often been criticized for using too many trick plays that backfired - double and even triple reverses, fake passes and fake kicks, and all kinds of strange formations, including "Backs Out" which had to be seen to be believed. But everything worked like a charm when they beat Coaldale, 26-6. The Tigers didn't make a single first down in the entire game. 

Every fourth of July, a coal miner from Nesquehoning by the name of Albert Grainger would do his high wire walk across Catawissa Street. This photo was taken at the intersection of Ratcliff and Catawissa Streets. A rope was attached to the Eagle Hotel on the right and the other end was tied to the attic window of the Central Hotel. (present site of American Legion Post 172)

In 1872, 284 men and boys work at the Room Run mines and with the help of 32 mules, produced 68,597 tons of coal. The first discovery of coal was at Nesquehoning in 1786 and had the distinction of being the highest quality anthracite coal ever found. Coal miner's prayer - O Lord after I have worked my last shift and come out of the earth and have placed my feet on Thy footstool, let me use the lamp of prudence, faith, hope and charity. From now on till I will be called to sign my last payroll, make all the cables in the machinery strong with Thy love. Supply all the gangways, slopes and chambers with the pure air of Thy grace and let the light of hope be my guidance, and when my last picking and shoveling is done, may my last car be full of Thy grace and give me the Hole Bible for my last shift, so that Thou, the General Superintendent of all the Collieries can cay: "Well done, thou good and faithful miner, come and sign the payroll and receive the check of eternal happiness." Amen

Former resident remembers Nesquehoning. "I lived there 1943 to 1948. The valley and its people were totally alien to me when we first arrived on a dark, windy day in March. The strange names, the funny-looking domed church towers, the run-down appearance of the town and most of all, the looming mountains of culm and slag that all but hid the real mountains made the area totally repugnant to me at first. I hated the place. But all of that lasted only a few short months. Now, of all the places where I ever lived (and we Methodist Preacher's kids lived in quite a few places as our fathers were moved from town to town about every four years)! Nesquehoning is the only place I truly call "home". A woman who used to run a sweet shop on Catawissa Street - Mel Becker - told it the way it was. At the church reception for the new pastor and his family, Mel came up to my mother and said, "I'll bet your old man cried when he first came here - they all do. But you oughta see'em cry when they leave!" And damned if she wasn't right. - W. R. "Bill" Rowland.