Shenandoah, Pennsylvania

Shenandoah, is a borough located in the lower part of the Coal Region , Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 105 miles (169 km) northwest of Philadelphia. The United Greek Catholic Church (Ruthenian rite) was the first of that denomination in the United States. In 1900, 20,321 people lived here; in 1910, 25,774 people lived here; in 1920, 24,726 people lived here; and in 1940, 19,790 people lived here. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 5,624.

History

The place was founded in 1860 and booming growth occurred during the Civil War years caused by the development and opening of several anthracite coal mines. The place was incorporated as a borough in 1866 and was a famous hotbed of activity during the era of the Molly Maguires in the 1870's. After the original influx of English, Welsh, Irish and German immigrants a large influx of peoples from the eastern and southern European countries occurred in the decades before and after the turn of the Twentieth Century and by 1920 a population of nearly 30,000 residents was attained with the city taking on a cosmopolitan appearance. The community was hard hit by the decline of the anthracite coal industry after World War II and heavy outmigration by coal miners occurred in order to find work elsewhere.

Related Topics:
Civil War - Anthracite - Coal mine - 1866 - Molly Maguires - Anthracite coal - World War II

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