Jump to content

Pottsville, Pennsylvania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 38.98.105.25 (talk) at 22:19, 23 December 2008 (→‎19th century). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville skyline
Pottsville skyline
Official seal of Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Seal
Pottsville's location in Schuylkill County
Pottsville's location in Schuylkill County
Country United States
Commonwealth Pennsylvania
CountySchuylkill County
Founded1806
Incorporated as a BoroughFebruary 19, 1828
Chartered as a CityMarch 22, 1911
Government
 • MayorJohn D.W. Reiley
Area
 • Total10.9 km2 (4.2 sq mi)
Elevation
200.9 m (659 ft)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total15,549
 • Density1,426.0/km2 (3,697.4/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
17901
Websitewww.city.pottsville.pa.us

Pottsville is the largest and only chartered city and county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, 97 miles (156 km) north-west of Philadelphia. It is located in Pennsylvania's Coal Region, named for the abundance of anthracite coal.

Pottsville is not to be confused with Pottstown, a borough in Montgomery County approximately 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Philadelphia.

Overview

The City of Pottsville is built on seven hills (like ancient Rome). The most notable is Sharp Mountain. The founder of the city is John Pott, born in Oley Township, Berks County, PA. The city is famous for being the gateway to the Anthracite Coal Region and is also home of America's Oldest Brewery: Yuengling, which has been in operation since 1829. John O'Hara was a famous novelist that brought Pottsville alive with his "Gibbsville" stories. Pottsville's Railway Park Little League participated in the Little League World Series in 1997. Pottsville was also home to an NFL franchise in the early 20th Century named "The Pottsville Maroons".

History

Early settlement

Pottsville is named for its founder, John Pott, who settled the town in 1806. The town was formally laid out in 1816 by a local surveyor, Henry Donnell.

By the Charter of Charles II, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, to his trustie and well beloved subject, William Penn, Esq., sonne and heire of Sir William Penn, for the Colony of Pennsylvania, the grantee, William Penn, was given power and authority to erect counties, in the following words: "And we do further for us, our heires and successors, give and grant unto the said William Penn, his heirs and assignees, free and absolute power to divide the said countrey and islands into townes, into boroughes and counties, etc.," whereupon William Penn did divide the Province into three counties, Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester.

The last comprised all lands west and south of the Delaware and the Schuylkill; therefore the site of Pottsville was originally in Chester County. When the legislative Council, on 10 May 1729, enacted the law erecting the County of Lancaster, which included all the lands of the Province lying westward of a straight line drawn northeasterly from the headwaters of Octorara Creek (near the southern borders) marked with blazed trees, to the River Schuylkill, then this placed Pottsville in Lancaster County. By enactment of the same Council, approved on 11 March 1752, the County of Berks was erected; this placed Pottsville within the limits of that county. By an act of Assembly of the Commonwealth approved March 1, 1811, the County of Schuylkill was erected out of portions of Berks and Northampton; this placed the site of Pottsville in Schuylkill County, and in 1851 it became the county seat; the original county seat being Orwigsburg. (Source--Early Annals of Pottsville, by DC Henning, Esq., September 28, 1906.)

Pottsville was established as a village in Norwegian Township in 1819 and incorporated as a borough on February 19 1828. Pottsville was chartered as a third-class city on March 22 1911.

19th century

View of Pottsville in 1854

Pottsville's anthracite coal history began in 1790 when it was discovered by hunter Necho Allen. Legend has it that Allen fell asleep at the base of the Broad Mountain, and woke to the sight of a large fire; his campfire had ignited an outcropping of coal. By 1795 an anthracite-fired iron furnace was established on the Schuylkill River. In 1806 John Pott purchased the furnace. The Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, which has its roots in 1871 in the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, and the remnants of which were acquired in the late 20th century by the Reading Anthracite Company, acquired extentive coal lands and would become one of the most notable of the coal companies operating in Pennsylvania until the demise of the anthracite industry after World War II.

Because of its location along the Schuylkill River, Pottsville developed a small textile industry. Out of this industry grew the Phillips Van Heusen company which was founded in 1881. Moses Phillips and his wife Endel began sewing shirts by hand and selling them from pushcarts to the local coal miners. Van Heusen and other textile companies left the region starting in the late 1970s, mainly as a result of foreign competition. Another element of the textile industry was the Tilt Silk Mill on Twelfth Street, which produced silk from silk worms imported from China which fed on mulberry trees in the building's solarium. The silk business eventually was eclipsed by the development of nylon stockings. The building still stands and is presently the headquarters of a storage and vehicle rental business.

In 1829, D.G. Yuengling & Son established the oldest operated family brewer of beer in the United States. During the Prohibition period in the United States, under the 18th Amendment, Yuengling stopped making beer and moved to production of "near beer". The three brews produced in this time were the Yuengling Special (The most popular brand), Yuengling Por-Tor (a version of their "celebrated Pottsville Porter"), and finally, the Yuengling Juvo, which was a cereal beverage. Then-owner Frank Yuengling also opened the Yuengling Dairy, which produced ice cream and other dairy products for the local area. These ventures helped to keep the company afloat during that period.

When the 18th Amendment was repealed, Yuengling stopped production of "near beer" and resumed making alcoholic beverages. The brewery famously sent a truckload of its Winner Beer to the White House in 1933 as thanks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the repeal of Prohibition.

Yuengling still continues its family-owned business today. (The Yuengling Dairy was operated by a different branch of the family than the Brewery. Business declined and the dairy folded as of 1985.) Attempted buyouts by large conglomerate breweries have all been unsuccessful.

20th century

Pottsville was host to a National Football League (NFL) franchise from 1925-1928. The Maroons played in Sportsman's Park (or Minersville Park) in nearby Minersville, now the site of King's Village shopping plaza. The Pottsville Maroons posted some of the best records in the NFL during the 1925 and 1926 seasons.

The Maroons had a claim to the 1925 NFL championship, but because of a controversial decision by NFL President Joe Carr, the title was instead awarded to the Chicago Cardinals. The Maroons suffered two more losing seasons before relocating to Boston and becoming the Bulldogs. The Boston Bulldogs folded in 1929.

In August 1997, the Pottsville Railway Park Little League all star team, managed by 42-year veteran Irv Shappell, made an impressive run to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania by representing the U.S. East Region. The team glided through the Pennsylvania District 24 Tournament including defeating their cross-town rival Pottsville Rotary Little League 19-0. Following the District 24 Tournament Railway Park continued its impressive run through the PA Section 3 Tournament beating every team they played! Moving on to the Pennsylvania State Tournament which was held in Carbondale, PA; they suffered their first loss of the tournament to Berwyn-Paoli Little League only to bounce back the next night to win the State Crown which earned them a berth in the U.S. Eastern Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut. Defeating Connecticut twice, as well as teams from Rhode Island, Maine, and New Jersey they played their final game before the Series against California-Hollywood, Maryland, defeating them 2-1 in a LIVE-televised game on ESPN2. Finally, in Williamsport for the World Series they defeated Dyer, Indiana 1-0 in an extra inning game. The following evening they played Bradenton, Florida at Lamade Stadium before the largest crowd ever to watch a Non-championship game. The crowd was estimated at more than 35,000. Although they lost the game they played their final game against Mission Viejo, Southern California, losing to that team 3-1; one game shy of the United States Championship Game. The team returned home to a city-wide party and more than 200 fire trucks welcomed them back to town.

21st century

Today Pottsville is on the verge of trying to revitalize the downtown area. The malls coming into the area played a large role in the decline of the downtown area. The city has begun a streetscaping project on Centre Street which was completed in 2007. Next, the city plans on using the funds from the Elm Street project to revitalize Nichols Street. The city also is working on bringing the railroad back into center city for tourist excursions and is also planning to build a large transportation hub in the same location for bus service throughout the county. It will also accommodate Trailways and Greyhound Services.

Pottsville is also the home to the Great Pottsville Cruise which is held on the second Sunday of August each year. The Great American Way Fair is also held annually in early May. Each New Year's Eve the city sponsors the raising of the Yuengling Bottle to the top of the flagpole at Garfield Square to ring in the new year.

Geography

Pottsville is located at 40°41′6″N 76°12′10″W / 40.68500°N 76.20278°W / 40.68500; -76.20278Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.685058, -76.202747)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²).It is all land; none of the area is covered in water. Although there are no lakes within the city there are several water courses which flow through the city. The Schuylkill River flows through the extreme southern part of the city near Mount Carbon. The West Branch of the Schuylkill River makes up the western border for the city. Within the city itself the West Branch of Norwegian Creek flows through the Fishbach section of the city and the East Branch of Norwegian Creek flows through the Jalappa section of the city. Joining together near Progress Avenue and Terry Reiley Way they form Norwegian Creek which flows underground through the heart of the city. The creek empties into the Schuylkill River at Mauch Chunk Street.

Pottsville is said to rest on seven hills, like ancient Rome. These seven hills are Lawton's Hill, Greenwood Hill, Bunker Hill (Sharp Mountain), Guinea Hill, Forest Hills, Cottage Hill and Mount Hope.

Demographics

City of Pottsville
Population by year[1][2]
1830 2,464
1840 4,345
1850 7,515
1860 9,444
1870 12,384
1880 13,264
1890 14,117
1900 N/A
1910 20,236
1920 N/A
1930 N/A
1940 24,530
1950 23,630
1960 21,659
1970 19,715
1980 18,195
1990 16,603
2000 15,549
2005 (est.) 14,764

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 15,549 people, 6,399 households, and 3,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,697.4 people per square mile (1,426.0/km²). There were 7,343 housing units at an average density of 1,746.1/sq mi (673.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.73% White, 2.26% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population.

There are 6,399 households, out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,137, and the median income for a family was $41,124. Males had a median income of $31,510 versus $21,433 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,165. About 10.1% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods

  • Center City- Area consisting of Centre Street and Market Street from Garfield Square to Line Street and from Nichols Street to Mauch Chunk Street.
  • Yorkville - located on the west side of the city, west of the Pottsville Area High School and west of 16th Street to the city line. Yorkville was a borough that merged with Pottsville in the early part of the Twentieth Century.
  • Quinntown - Along W. Market Street, south and west of Garfield Square up to 16th Street.
  • Lawton's Hill - East of Route 61, north of E. Norwegian Street.
  • Greenwood Hill - East of Route 61, south of E. Norwegian Street.
  • The Island - The area surrounding the former site of the Atkins Brothers furnace; near Washington Street and Route 61.
  • Jalappa - North of Route 61 and east of Centre Street on the north side of town.
    • Jalappa Heights - Scenic, elevated northeast corner of Jalappa.
  • Fishbach - West of Jalappa, in the area between Centre Street and Peacock Street.
  • Russelville - Along W. Market Street, north and west of Garfield Square up to 16th Street.
  • Forest Hills - a residential development south of Mount Carbon.
    • Forest Hills West - a residential neighborhood south of Mount Carbon and west of Forest Hills.
  • Bunker Hill - south of Mahantongo Street from S. 2nd Street to S. 11th Street.
  • Morrisville - South Centre Street from Mauch Chunk Street to the city line with Mount Carbon borough.
  • Guinea Hill - A residential neighborhood which extends north of W. Arch Street to W. Laurel Blvd. and from N. 3rd Street westward to N. 12th Street.
  • Cottage Hill - North of West End Avenue from N. 20th Street to Westwood Road. Subdivided into Cottage Hill West and Cottage Hill East.
  • Hillside - Cressona Road from Hotel Street to the city line.
  • York Farm - North of First Avenue to Mount Hope Avenue and from N. 16th Street west to the city line. (Also includes High Park Manor)
  • Mount Hope - North of Laurel Boulevard to Fairmont Avenue and from N. Second Street to North 16th Street and Walter Griffith Avenue.
  • Yorktowne - East of Westwood Road along Woodglen and Yorktowne Roads.

Parks and recreation areas

  • Rotary Park - Located at South 20th & Mahantongo Streets, is one of the largest recreational areas in the city. It includes Pottsville Rotary Little League which can accommodate night games. Also, the park includes a basketball court and a roller hockey rink. There is also playground equipment located on the Norwegian Street side of the park. The park has a fairly large grassy area. The park lacks shade trees.
  • Railway Park - Located in the Yorkville section of Pottsville at the end of First Avenue the park includes the home of Railway Park Little League, the 1997 United States Eastern Region Champions of Little League Baseball.
  • General George Joulwan East Side Park - Located on East Norwegian Street, the park is built in tiers along the hillside. In the past the park included the East Side swimming pool; but this has been demolished and now is home to a skate park. Basketball courts and playground equipment are also located in the park.
  • Henry Clay Park - Located on South Second Street, high on the hilltop overlooking the south side of Pottsville is the Henry Clay Monument. The park is relatively small with no benches or recreational equipment or fields. A larger park was originally planned to be built around it shortly after its construction, but it never materialized. However, the current park is small and quaint and many trees surround which provide a cool spot and a breath-taking view of South Centre Street and the Pottsville Hospital & Warne Clinic.
  • John F. Kennedy Memorial Recreation Complex - It is the city's main park. It has an entrance on York Farm Road, it also has a Parking Lot which can handle moderate amounts of vehicles, two basketball courts, two tennis courts, and two volleyball courts and is home to the JFK Memorial Pool, a community, non-membership pool, it also has a jogging path which connects it to nearby Railway Park. The path has benches in shady, wooded areas. Many people feed the chipmunks and squirrels in the park, which make them not fear humans. You can whistle and they will come. The park also has a fairly large grassy area between the Sports Courts and the pool. Pets are permitted but must be on a leash. The same rules apply in other city park parcels. Also note that there are no pets premitted in the pool area. The complex is located near the Pottsville Area School District city school parcels.
  • Yuengling Park - Located at South Tenth and Mahantongo Streets, Yuengling Park is the location of the old spring house which was used for the Brewery back in the 19th Century. The park is filled with natural fountains, grass, flowers and benches and a large pavilion. The park has no playground facilities but provides a peaceful spot near the hub of the city.
  • Bunker Hill Playground - Located between Schuylkill Avenue and Pirece St. the playground has updated their equipment but is a relaxing area to spend the day with the family.
  • Others - There are many other playgrounds located through the city some of which include, 17th Street Playground, 12th Street Playground, 11th & Arch Street Playground, Race Street Playground, Peacock Street Playground, Jalappa Playground, Fairview Street Playground, Main Street Playground, East Market Street Playground, Greenwood Hill Playground, and Forest Hills Playground.

Suburbs (Greater Pottsville Area)

  • Borough of Mount Carbon
  • Borough of Port Carbon
  • Borough of Mechanicsville
  • Borough of Palo Alto
  • Borough of Minersville
  • Borough of Saint Clair
  • Borough of New Philadelphia
  • Borough of Middleport
  • Blythe Township
    • Village of Cumbola
    • Village of Kaska
  • East Norwegian Township
    • Village of Diener's Hill
  • Norwegian Township
    • Village of Marlin
    • Village of Seltzer
    • Village of New Street
    • Village of Mount Laffee
    • Village of Fairlane
  • North Manheim Township
    • Village of Becksville
    • Village of Connor's Crossing
  • Branch Township
    • Village of Dowdentown
    • Village of Llewellyn
    • Village of New Minersville

Points of interest

The City of Pottsville has many points of interest, some of which include:

  • Schuylkill County Courthouse (Tours Available) - N. Second Street & W. Laurel Blvd.
  • Henry Clay Monument - South 2nd Street
  • Garfield Square Monuments - N. Fifth & W. Market Streets
  • D.G Yuengling & Sons Brewery - (Tours Available) - S. 5th and Mahantongo Streets
  • Jerry's Classic Cars Museum - S. Centre Street near Mauch Chunk Street (Not exactly at the corner).
  • Schuylkill County Historical Society - N. Centre Street & W. Race Street
  • Jewish Museum of Eastern Pennsylvania - 2300 Mahantongo St
  • Garfield Diner - N. Fourth & W. Market Streets at Garfield Square
  • General George Joulwan Monument - North Centre Street (just north of the Historical Society)
  • Veterans' Memorial Stadium (Home of Pottsville Crimson Tide Football) - N. 16th & Elk Avenue (Behind Pottsville Area High School).
  • John O'Hara Monument - S. Centre Street and W. Howard Avenue
  • Veterans' Memorial - General George Joulwan Park, E. Norwegian & Anderson Sts.
  • Pottsville Skatepark - E. Norwegian & Anderson Sts. (Joulwan Park)
  • JFK Memorial Pool - York Farm Road @ High Park Manor.
  • Sovereign Majestic Theatre (Performing Arts) - N. Centre Street (half a block south of the Historical Society.)
  • World War I Monument - W. Arch & N. 11th Sts.

Sports

Pottsville fielded a team in the National Football League between 1925 and 1929 called the Pottsville Maroons. There is considerable controversy over whether the Maroons should have been awarded the 1925 NFL Championship instead of the Chicago Cardinals, who they beat on the field.

Pottsville Area High School has several sports teams including, Pottsville Crimson Tide football, basketball, volleyball, water polo, wrestling, baseball and golf. Girls sports are represented by the Lady Tide teams. Pottsville also has two Little Leagues associated with Little League Baseball, Inc. in Williamsport; they are Pottsville (Rotary) Little League located at 20th and Mahantongo Streets and Railway Park Little League located at the end of First Avenue. Railway Park was the U.S. Eastern Regional representative in the 1997 Little League World Series. Pottsville also has a Babe Ruth League for teenage boys as well as a Teener League. The American Legion also sponsors a program for boys in their late teens. The Diocese of Allentown also sponsors CYO programs at All Saints School. Nativity BVM High School also offers football, basketball, track and field and volleyball along with other sports to their students. The Nativity Golden Girls Basketball team has won several State Championships.

The Pottsville Crimson Tide football team is one of the oldest prep football programs in the country. At the end of the 2007 football season, Pottsville had played 1137 games, which tied them for first in the nation among prep games played with Williamsport, Pennsylvania and Steelton-Highspire, Pennsylvania.

Pottsville also hosted a home game for the New York Giants.

Golden Girls

The Nativity Golden Girls basketball team has had a history full of success. The Golden Girls started the triumphant history girls basketball teams have endured in Schuylkill County. For twenty straight years a team from Schuylkill County represented Pennsylvania in the state championship game ranging from 1987 to 2006. In 1978, Nativity defeated Brentwood 70-49 for their first state title. They would appear in the state championship eight more times after the 1978 season totaling nine appearances overall. In 1990, they beat Bellwood Antis 54-40 to capture their second title. Nativity would return to the helm in 1999 winning their third title by defeating Bishop Guilfoyle 74-67. In 2000, the Golden Girls finished off an impressive undefeated season of 33-0 with a win over Saegertown 64-54 repeating as champions. In 2001, their attempt for a three peat fell two points short losing to Kennedy Christian in the title game by a score of 48-46. Nativity’s most recent championship came in 2006, which was also the last year of the twenty year span Schuylkill County had a representative in the state championship game, where the Golden Girls defeated Conemaugh Valley 53-49.

Fire Companies

Todd March is the city's Fire Chief. The following is a list of fire companies in the city.

  • Greenwood Hill - Greenwood & Ridge Avenues
  • Phoenix - E. Norwegian & Line Sts.
  • Good Intent - S. Second & W. Division Sts.
  • American Hose - S. Fourth & W. Norwegian Sts.
  • Good Will - Nichols Street & Terry Riley Way
  • Humane - N. Third St. & W. Laurel Blvd.
  • West End - 1219 W. Market St.
  • Yorkville - N. 20th & W. Norwegian Sts.

Religion

Pottsville is very diverse in religion and contains a number of churches worth a visit. Two Roman Catholic churches serve the city's Catholic population. St. Patrick's Church, South Fourth & Mahantongo Streets, currently serves as the Deanery Parish of the Schuylkill Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown. The current Vicar Forane is the Reverend Monsignor Edward J. O'Connor who also serves as Pastor to the parish. St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, located at South Tenth & Mahantongo Streets, houses one of the only complete sets of stained glass windows in the world designed by artist, Wilhelm Derrix; who served as the official Papal Glassmaker to the Pope in the 19th century. The current Pastor is the Reverend Father David L. Loeper. Among the city's other Christian churches, notable is Trinity Episcopal at South Centre Street & Howard Avenue. The church is on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed in an early English Gothic revival style in 1847 by the young Philadelphia architect Napoleon LeBrun (who also was the architect for the slightly later landmark Pottsville jail (1851 -- still in use)), and has been much altered over the succeeding century and a half. The original LeBrun design of Trinity Church was expanded and modified extravagantly in the late 1860s, when the town was flush with coal profits from the Civil War era, and again by the firm of Zantzinger, Borie and Medary in the early 1920s. In its present form, it contains a fine set of stained glass windows in an Italianate Gothic style by the Philadelphia designer Nicola D'Ascenzo. The tower of the church also contains a chime of nine bells which is operable today. Trinity Church replaced a smaller church, known as St. Luke's, designed by the architect William Strickland in 1827. An oil painting of the old St. Luke's, painted in 1847 just before the building was torn down, hangs in the church parish house. The painting is by Mary Ann Peale, granddaughter of Charles Wilson Peale, who lived in the area with her father, Rubens Peale, at the time. Trinity Episcopal Church and its supposed 1920s congregation were protrayed unflatteringly by John O'Hara in the opening pages of his novel Ten North Frederick. Trinity Episcopal Church also operates the Charles Baber Cemetery at 14th and Market Streets in the City, which contains the fine Ruskinian Gothic revival Chapel of the Resurrection and is one of the nation's great survivors of the garden cemetery movement of the mid-Nineteenth century. Other notable Pottsville churches which merit a visit are Trinity Lutheran Church at North Third & West Arch Streets, and the United Methodist Church at Garfield Square. Smaller churches and chapels are located throughout the city. Pottsville's Jewish Community worships at their new West End Avenue Facility. Area Muslims worship in nearby Mechanicsville.

Media

The Republican & Herald is the only local daily newspaper serving Pottsville. There are also three radio stations broadcasting from Pottsville.

  • 101.9 T-102 WAVT (Hot AC)
  • WPAM The Phoenix 1450-AM (Classic Rock)
  • WPPA 1360-AM (Talk)

The following is a list of other radio stations which can be heard in the Pottsville area:

The area is also served by local television stations from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. They include WNEP-TV 16 (ABC), WYOU-TV 22 (CBS), WBRE-TV 28 (NBC), WVIA-TV 44 (PBS) and WOLF-TV 56 (FOX).

Comcast Cable and Verizon DSL are major Internet providers in the area.

Transportation

Pottsville is served by a small general aviation airport, Schuylkill County Airport (ZER). Intercity public bus service is provided by a Trailways bus terminal, located in downtown Pottsville. The terminal also serves the community with Greyhound as well. Mass transit for the greater Pottsville area is provided by Schuylkill Transportation System, which operates inter-city bus services throughout the county. Two major highways converge on Pottsville, PA Route 61 and U.S. Route 209.

Street grid

Norwegian Street divides north and south in the city; Centre Street divides east and west. Since the city is built on steep hills, the street layout is more complex.

Streets with West/East designations include:

  • W/E Railroad Street
  • W/E Harrison Street
  • W/E Laurel Boulevard
  • W/E Race Street
  • W/E Arch Street
  • W/E Market Street
  • W/E Division Street
  • W/E Norwegian Street
  • W. Mahantongo Street (E. Mahantongo Street once ran from Centre Street to Progress Avenue but has been closed to vehicular traffic since the 1970s.)
  • W/E Howard Avenue
  • W/E Union Street
  • W/E Morris Street
  • W/E Overlook Drive (in Forest Hills is not split by Centre Street)
  • W. Spruce Street (given the title "West" because of previously existing Spruce Street in Jalappa)
  • Cottage Hill West/East (East is a private drive not owned by the city)

Streets with North/South designations include:

  • N/S Wolfe Street
  • N/S Jackson Street
  • N/S George Street
  • N/S Claude A. Lord Boulevard
  • S. Coal Street (N. Coal Street's name has been changed to Terry Reiley Way)
  • N/S Progress Avenue
  • N/S Centre Street
  • N/S Second Street
  • N/S Third Street
  • N/S Fourth Street
  • N/S Fifth Street
  • N/S Sixth Street
  • N/S Seventh Street
  • N/S Eighth Street
  • N/S Ninth Street
  • N/S Tenth Street
  • N/S Eleventh Street
  • N/S Twelfth Street
  • N/S Thirteenth Street
  • N/S Fourteenth Street
  • N/S Fifteenth Street
  • N/S Sixteenth Street
  • N. Seventeenth Street (South Seventeenth Street only exists on paper)
  • N/S Eighteenth Street
  • N/S Nineteenth Street
  • N/S Twentieth Street
  • N/S Twenty-first Street
  • N/S Twenty-second Street
  • N/S Twenty-third Street
  • N/S Twenty-fourth Street
  • N/S Twenty-fifth Street
  • S. Twenty-sixth Street (There has never been nor is there planned to be a North 26th Street).

Real Pottsville Streets, and their "Gibbsville" counterparts in the books and short stories of John O'Hara

  • Centre Street--Main Street
  • W. Norwegian Street--Christiana Street
  • E. Norwegian Street--Scandinavia Street
  • Mahantongo Street--Lantenengo Street
  • Peacock Street--Mill Street
  • Minersville Street--Mission Street
  • N. George Street--N. Frederick Street
  • Washington Street (Bridge)--Lincoln Street (Bridge)
  • Progress Avenue--Railroad Avenue

Streets that have changed names or no longer exist

There are several streets and ways within the City of Pottsville that have changed names over the years since Pottsville's beginnings or have been eliminated from the street grid.

  • Progress Avenue was once known as Railroad Street.
  • Terry Reiley Way was formerly known as North Coal Street.
  • Humane Avenue was previously known as Laurel Street and before that Laurel Alley.
  • Minersville Street was formerly a street that transversed from North Coal Street to North Eighth Street on a northwestwardly angle just north of Laurel Street. The present day John O'Hara Apartments make up a bulk of the former Minersville Street area.
  • Howard Avenue was once known as Church Alley.
  • Arch Street was once known as Callowhill Street.
  • Claude A. Lord Boulevard replaced the narrow Coal Street that was located in nearly the same area.

Notable natives and residents

Notable NFL Players from Pottsville High School

Public and private education

Colleges and universities

References

  1. ^ City of Pottsville census data
  2. ^ Population of the 100 largest U.S. cities, 1790-1990

See also

Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pottsville,_Pennsylvania&oldid=259797429"