Wealth and Prosperity

The victorian Era 1875-1900

Mauch Chunk, founded in 1818 as a company town, went through a boom period that lasted through the rest of the century as the importance of anthracite became central to the American Industrial Revolution and the American way of life. Men of modest means and men of no means at all came to the town and got swept up in the success and opportunity the town afforded them. Some became millionaires several times over. Even those who did not become millionaires did well for themselves – the tide of prosperity raised nearly all the boats of Mauch Chunk.

This vigorous era reached its peak in the last quarter of the 19th century. As that era began most of Mauch Chunk’s “old money” families were still centered here. The next generation was still young, but they were maturing and not all were destined to remain in Mauch Chunk.

Industry in Mauch Chunk bustled and there was plenty of employment in various enterprises. These included the coal business, three railroads and their attendant shops and yards, the Lehigh Canal and the boat building enterprises, breweries, construction companies, two iron plants plus a wire rope mill, two newspapers, a tannery and a tallow plant. Besides these businesses, Mauch Chunk was also the county seat and there was a wealth of lawyers along with the clerks and secretaries needed in the various offices.

During this era there was an exceptional set of individuals who were the leaders of the town and industry. Nearly all had made their fortune and fame in the coal and rail industries and nearly all were millionaires. And in the late 19th century, being a millionaire truly meant something. They included (in order of when they passed from the scene):

These were the men who built the great mansions on Front Hill overlooking the Lehigh. These were the men who built the townhouses of Millionaire’s Row on Broadway. These were the “royalty” of old Mauch Chunk.

As time progressed, these town fathers began to die out and in some cases the next generation moved on to the bigger ponds of Bethlehem, Philadelphia and New York. The coal and rail industries would soon start shifting their main offices to the bigger cities, too. Still, the momentum of prosperity continued to carry the town along and there was a wave of construction during this final quarter of the 19th century that reshaped the town. It was high times in old Mauch Chunk while it lasted.

Even as business shifted elsewhere and the old families faded from the scene, another industry had been growing, that of tourism. Mauch Chunk had been a tourism town since the early 1820s when visitors came to see the taming of the wilderness. By the late years of the century tourism had grown until, for a time, Mauch Chunk was the 2nd

most popular attraction in the United States – 2nd only to Niagara Falls.

JWS 8/2009