mauch chunk opera house in jim thorpe pa

model of the Switchback Gravity Railroad which connected the anthracite mine at Summit Hill with the Lehigh River nine miles distant.īuilt for the transportation of coal, the Switchback became the ultimate thrill roller coaster of 19th century rail excursionists, thrusting the small industrial town of Mauch Chunk into second place behind Niagara Falls as a tourist destination. Supplementing pictorial exhibits are period artifacts, tourist souvenirs and unique working models of (1) Josiah White’s ingenious “bear trap lock” which permitted trains of coal arks to navigate the Lehigh River (2) a standard lock on the Lehigh Canal and (3) a 30 ft. The theme is struggle, prosperity, decline and revival, the legacy, the architectural and natural beauty that is today’s Jim Thorpe.

It focuses on such topics as the Lenape Indians, the discovery and mining of “black diamonds” (anthracite coal), the settlement of Mauch Chunk, the scramble to build waterways and railroads to transport coal to eastern seaboard cities, the unique Switchback Gravity Railroad, and Mauch Chunk in its industrial golden age, its decline and revival as the town of Mauch Chunk became Jim Thorpe in 1954 – repository for the body of the great native American Olympian. “The Story of Mauch Chunk,” the theme of the museum’s core exhibition, leads the visitor through the ages from the geological formation of coal in prehistoric times to the present.

This beautiful space can accommodate 150 people and is available for rental. The second floor of the building features a grand ballroom used for wedding receptions, corporate events, and museum sponsored events. The first floor of the building is an award-winning museum dedicated to the local and nearby history. and including its Ballroom are “Back on Track” after a Covid induced interlude.

T he Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center Inc.

Mauch chunk opera house in jim thorpe pa