The Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center Inc. and including its Ballroom are “Back on Track” after a Covid induced interlude. The first floor of the building is an award-winning museum dedicated to the local and nearby history. The second floor of the building features a grand ballroom used for wedding receptions, corporate events, and museum sponsored events. This beautiful space can accommodate 150 people and is available for rental.
“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. 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 theme is struggle, prosperity, decline and revival, the legacy, the architectural and natural beauty that is today’s Jim Thorpe.
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. model of the Switchback Gravity Railroad which connected the anthracite mine at Summit Hill with the Lehigh River nine miles distant.
Built 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. A 14-minute video presentation introduces and prepares the visitor for their upcoming tour.
The purpose of the exhibition is to chronologically lay out the fascinating history of Mauch Chunk/Jim Thorpe in a visual and textual form which is both interesting and understandable to all who visit. Implicit in “visual presentation” is “preservation.” And preservation is a vital part of the museum’s mission.
Loss of oral histories – the handing down of stories and lifestyles from one generation to another – destruction of documentation, and neglect and destruction of historic, industrial, and architectural remains leaves a gaping and eternally empty void in the human continuum. Our aim at the Mauch Chunk Museum is to try preventing this from happening on a local level so that we may tell and add to “the story.”
The second floor of the museum, “The Ballroom”, has been open for 19 years. The project of restoration of that area started in 2002 and then was completed 2004. Since the building was slated for demolition, the entire building needed total renovation including changing the sizes of internal spaces.
Previously the building was known as the St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church, originally built as a one-story church in 1843 and then expanded into a two-story edifice in 1873. It functioned as a church until 1975.
Upcoming Events:
Ballroom events are already being scheduled for the upcoming months. In addition to the 4 weddings and receptions scheduled over the next few months, the museum is sponsoring 2 events of note. There will be a “Mad About Hats Victorian Tea Party” on August 22nd from 1pm to 4pm. Ladies are encouraged to wear their favorite hat or even create one for the occasion. Tickets are $25 at the door or save 10% with preordering by calling the museum at 570-325-9190.
Another event in September, “The Treasures of Old Mauch Chunk” will be hosted. This will be a showcase of the wonderful artifacts that have been donated over the years or are on loan from private collections. You can find out more about future events by going to the website at www.mauchchunkmcc.org. The Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center is a non-profit organization. Our mission is “Giving Our Past a Future.”
The Mauch Chunk Museum & Cultural Center is located at 41 West Broadway in Jim Thorpe. It is currently open for visitors from June through October five days a week, Friday through Tuesday, from 11am to 5pm. Admissions is $7.50 per person for 12 years and older and children 11 and under are free. Group rates available. Telephone number is 570-325-9190. Our website is: www.mauchchunkmcc.org.
Donations, admissions fees, and rentals benefit the current and continual restoration of the Museum so generations to come will have a place to learn. Consider becoming a museum annual member. You will receive free museum admissions, discounts on our special programs, and discounts on gift shop item purchases. We value your support.
One of the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Centers’s preservation projects involved the restoration of The Kemmerer Carriage House. The Kemmerer Carriage House is a tribute to the “Front Hill” Families and the Millionaire’s of early Mauch Chunk. It is located in Jim Thorpe at 20 Packer Hill Road, across from the Asa and Harry Packer Mansions next to Kemmerer Park.
The carriage house was originally built in 1879 and restored between 2008 and 2019. The carriage house rehabilitation is one more example of Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center’s efforts for filling in voids in the architectural remains of early Mauch Chunk. Enjoy a short video of our history, key players, and transition from the untamed river valley to the industrial outpost of Mauch Chunk that truly played a pivotal role in the American Industrial Revolution.
It is currently open for visitors from June through October five days a week: Friday through Tuesday, from 12pm to 5pm. Admission is by donation. The visitor steps back in time to Mauch Chunk’s beginnings in 1818 and learns about life in the days of mining anthracite coal, canal boats, and railroads.
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