Pittston, Pennsylvania

Pittston (properly pronounced pits-ton) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre that gained prominence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as an active coal mining city, drawing a large portion of its labor force from European immigrants.

Pittston, Pennsylvania, as depicted on an 1892 panoramic map.

History

Pittston is the midpoint city between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Named after the famous statesman William Pitt, the city was laid out in 1768 and settled about 1770,[1]was incorporated as a borough in 1855, and was chartered as a city in 1894.[2]

Through the late 1890s, Pittston City was known to extend to the borders of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. However, due to financial and civil differences, the city would soon be divided into the many townships and boroughs that exist along the east side of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys today.

Coal mining was active in Pittston until the Knox Mine Disaster in nearby Port Griffith in Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania on January 22, 1959 which essentially shut down the mining industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

12 people died; 69 others escaped. One miner, Amadeo Pancotti, was awarded the Carnegie Medal for leading 32 miners to safety. The bodies of the 12 who died were never recovered, despite efforts of divers and an attempt to pump the water out of the shafts.

Geography

Pittston is located at 41°19′26″N 75°47′20″W (41.323865, -75.788894)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.5 km² (1.7 mi²). 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (8.09%) is water. The city is served by the Pittston Area School District.

The area in and around Pittston is referred to as Greater Pittston and includes Avoca, Dupont, Duryea, Exeter Boro, Exeter Township. Hughestown, Jenkins Township, Laflin, Pittston, Pittston Township, West Pittston, West Wyoming, Wyoming and Yatesville.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 8,104 people, 3,530 households, and 2,170 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,955.6/km² (5,072.6/mi²). There were 3,902 housing units at an average density of 941.6/km² (2,442.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.38% White, 0.68% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 3,530 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,103, and the median income for a family was $33,861. Males had a median income of $28,351 versus $21,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,686. About 11.8% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Executive

The city is headed by an elected mayor. The current mayor is Joseph Keating.

Legislative

A third class city government consists of a mayor and four council members with equal voting power. The council members are:

Councilman Ken Bangs
Councilman Joseph McLean
Councilwoman Donna McFadden Connors
Councilman Danny Argo

Education

Public schools
Pittston City is located within the Pittston Area School District which covers Pittston Township, Dupont, Duryea, Hughestown, Yatesville, Avoca and Jenkins Township

The Pittston Area School District consists of five schools:

• Ben Franklin Kindergarten Center - Dupont (Grades: K)
• Pittston Area Primary Center - Hughestown (Grades: 1-2)
• Pittston Area Intermediate Center - Pittston (Grades: 3-5)
• Martin L. Mattei Middle School - Pittston (Grades: 6-8)
• Pittston Area Senior High School - Yatesville (Grades: 9-12)

Private schools
There were several Catholic schools in the Greater Pittston Area that utilized Pittston Area Transportation and follow the same schedule regarding closings, etc. Many have since been closed by the local diocese due to lack of funding and low enrollment.

Grade schools

• St Mary's Assumption, Pittston
• Holy Rosary, Duryea
• Sacred Heart, Dupont

Pittston Tomato Festival

The Pittston Tomato Festival, in its twenty-fourth year in 2007, is held annually on South Main Street in downtown Pittston. The event celebrates the city's proud tradition, which is also its motto of the "Quality Tomato Capital of the World".

The event consists of many food vendors from the Greater Pittston Area, a beauty pageant, a tomato tasting contest, a best looking and ugliest tomato contest, a 5km run through the city, tomato fights, and a parade.

Transportation

Highways

Interstate 81 passes through Pittston Township. Combined with all of Interstate 59 and a portion of Interstate 75, Interstate 81 follows U.S. 11 for its entire journey from New Orleans, Louisiana to northern New York State. Interstate 81 does not enter major metropolitan areas; it instead serves smaller cities such as Roanoke and Winchester, Virginia; Hagerstown, Maryland; Harrisburg and Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Binghamton and Syracuse, New York. After passing through Watertown, NY, Interstate 81 crosses the St. Lawrence Seaway to meet Highway 401 in Canada.The city is also located near the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 476 providing service from Clarks Summit, PA to Philadelphia, PA.

Air

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is actually in Avoca, a town in the Pittston metropolitan area. The airport is serviced by eight international airlines and hosted Air Force One on regional presidential visits several times in the past. In the spring of 2002, the airport began offering an increased number of non-stop flights across the nation. Service is provided by Continental Airlines, Delta, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways.

Public transportation

Pittston is served by the Luzerne County Transportation Authority and COLTS, which provides bus services to the city and other communities within Luzerne County and Lackawanna County. Martz Trailways also provides commuter, tour, and trip service from Pittston, nearby Wilkes-Barre and Scranton to points east and south, such as Philadelphia, New York City, and Atlantic City.

Rail

At present, the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway (successor to the Delaware and Hudson) and the Luzerne & Susquehanna Railroad (designated-operator of a county-owned shortline) provide freight service within the city and Pittston Township. A future commuter Train from Scranton to New York City has received government funding.

Professional sports teams

• Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, (AAA Minor League Baseball International League) (plays its home games in nearby Moosic)
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (American Hockey League)
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (af2)

Sites of interest in the Pittston area

• The Ice Box
• Pittston Memorial Library
• F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts (Wilkes-Barre)
• Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs (Wilkes-Barre Township)
• Pocono Raceway (Long Pond)
• Kirby Park (Wilkes-Barre)
• Montage Mountain Ski Resort (Scranton)
• Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain (Scranton)
• Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza (Wilkes-Barre Township)
• Scranton Cultural Center (Scranton)
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Internation Airport (Avoca)

Notable natives and residents of Pittston

• Mike Hudock, college and professional football player
• Hughie Jennings, native, major league baseball player and manager
• Jimmy Cefalo, native, professional football player, Miami Dolphins, Sportscaster, game show host
• Andy Ashby, former major league baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers
• Charley Trippi, native, professional football player, Chicago Cardinals, 1968 Inductee into Pro Football Hall of Fame, namesake of Pittston Area High School's stadium
• Raphael J. Musto, native, was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980 to 1981 from Pennsylvania, a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1971 to 1980, and the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1982 and 1986
• Thomas Tigue, native, is the retired Pennsylvania State Representative in the 118th District which covers parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties.
• Charles Calvin Bowman (March 4, 1873 – July 30, 1930) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Served as mayor of the city of Pittston in 1886, and served as a member of the city council for sixteen terms. He was a delegate to the Independent Republican State convention in 1890 and to the Republican State convention in 1898. Buried in Pittston Cemetery.
• John Harold Flannery (April 19, 1898–June 3, 1961), native, was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was the solicitor for Pittston City from 1926 to 1930, and served as assistant district attorney of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from 1932 to 1936
• Tommy McMillan (born April 18, 1888, in Pittston, Pennsylvania – died July 15, 1966, in Orlando, Florida) was a Major League Baseball outfielder and shortstop. He is an alumnus of Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Jay Parini (born 1948), native, is an American writer and academic. He is known for novels and poetry, biography and criticism. As of 2005, he teaches at Middlebury College.
• James Joseph Brown (September 27, 1854 - September 5, 1922), mining innovator, was born in Waymart and raised in Pittston. The Brown family came into great wealth when J.J's engineering efforts proved instrumental in the production of a substantial gold and copper seam at the Little Jonny mine of his employers, Ibex Mining Company.

Trivia

Pittston is also known as the base of the Bufalino Crime Family, a Mafia organization, apparently now in decline.

Pittston has struggled economically since the 1960s. The population was 8,104 at the 2000 census. According to a 2004 estimate, the population decreased to 7,753. The Pittston Company, the owner of Brinks, was founded in Pittston in 1838.

External links

• Pittston Photos

• Newspaper report on the Serradifalco Club

Business in Pittston

RescuedPC