Our office is located in Pottsville, but we have Executives who cover Central / Eastern Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to the west and south to Berks County, Hershey, Lebanon, Lancaster and York.
Located in Eastern Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County is only a short drive from many major cities:
- 30 minutes north of Reading
- 1 hour--almost equidistant between Harrisburg in the west and Allentown in the east
- 2 hours northwest of Philadelphia
- 2.5 hours from New York City
- 2.5 hours to Baltimore/Washington DC
In fact, Schuylkill County is within 300 miles of one-third of the nation's population. The
Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce says we're at "the hub of a wheel: the center from which you can venture forth for a multitude of activities. World class shopping, cultural events, restaurants, tourist attractions and recreational activities are all within a few hours' drive from any point in Schuylkill County.
You can go to historic
Philadelphia in the Southeast and shop, visit the tourist attractions or attend a sporting event. There is always some type of event going on with Philadelphia being the home of the Eagles (football), Phillies (baseball), 76ers (basketball) and Flyers (hockey). You can spend the day enjoying the city and still be home, safe and snug in your own bed, at the end of the day.
Southwest will land you in
Hershey (the sweetest place on earth and home of Hershey Park), the Amish country of
Lancaster as well as
Harrisburg - our state capital.
Southeast will find you at the malls of the
Allentown area, as well as Dorney Park. Just beyond Allentown is Historic
Bethlehem. Head to the North and visit the many attractions of the Greater Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area.
One of the best amusement parks in America is only a short trip.
Knoebel's Amusement Park is consistently rated as one of the best family amusement parks in America, and famous for their hometown attractions and world class wooden roller coasters, with the Phoenix consistently making the top 10 list of wooden roller coasters.
Just a short drive south and you will be in Hamburg - home of
Cabela's - or venture a little further and enjoy the cultural events, food, shopping malls and outlets of the Reading area.
Schuylkill County affords you the opportunity to enjoy the low crime rate and laid back pace of rural living along with the opportunity to enjoy some of the better aspects of metropolitan life.
We ARE in the middle of everywhere - and we like it here. You will too!" So geographically, we're at the center of it all. Officially, we're classified as a RURAL county in Pennsylvania, which means you get the best of both worlds: the benefits of a slower, less populated rural area and yet in close proximity to all the benefits that big cities have to offer. We may not have the huge chain stores and shopping complexes that you love to shop at--but in 30 to 60 minutes you can have it all, from discount outlets to big box retailers. And the benefit is that the sprawling acres of macadam are NOT right here in your own back yard.
Brief History of Schuylkill County
When Dutch explorers first came to this region, they named it Schulen-kill, meaning “hidden river.” Since its formation in 1811, Schuylkill County has led a rich life, rooted in coal but branching out into arts, politics and history.
On March 1, 1811, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania formed Schuylkill County out of parts of Northampton and Berks Counties. Later, in 1818, land from Columbia and Luzerne Counties was added. Orwigsburg served as the original county seat, but in 1851, the title moved to Pottsville, where it remains today.
Most of Schuylkill County’s historical significance stems from
anthracite coal. Records of anthracite in the county date back to 1770, when William Scull reportedly found coal deposits that his father had drawn on a map. Twenty years later, an explorer named Necho Allen accidentally discovered anthracite near Ashland when his campfire spread onto a coal deposit.
Despite Allen’s dramatic discovery, the first sale of anthracite coal in Schuylkill County did not take place until 1824 when
Colonel George Shoemaker sold it to a mill in Delaware County. Since that sale, the coal industry fueled the Industrial Revolution in the United States, and “King Coal” led to advancements in transportation.
In 1825, the
Schuylkill Navigation Company opened the Schuylkill Canal which ran from Port Carbon to Philadelphia. Three years later, the voyage of the Susquehanna opened the Union Canal, connecting the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Rivers. With the addition of the Union Canal, the “hidden river” could now transport coal to New York and Baltimore as well as Philadelphia. The first tunnel in America was built on the Schuylkill Canal. It ran 450 feet in length and stood near Auburn.
The first locomotive in Schuylkill County ran from Tamaqua to Port Clinton in 1833. Since that first ride, the railroads began competing with canals. By 1844, the railroads were hauling a greater tonnage of coal, and in 1870, the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad bought out the Schuylkill Canal and established a monopoly on coal transport. The railroads prospered all the way through the decline of the coal industry in the 1950s.
Because of the popularity of anthracite, several industries formed to help meet the rising demand. Coal mining led to an increase in iron manufacturing to produce mining equipment. Ship building plants also formed to supply canals, and powder mills used coal to produce gunpowder.
The increased prosperity created diversification within the economy. Tanneries formed, along with sawmills, slaughterhouses, distilleries and breweries. The
Yuengling Brewery, located in Pottsville, is the oldest operating brewery in the United States.
Throughout the long span of coal mining in Schuylkill County, several labor disputes arose, ranging from strikes to murder trials. At the center of many of the labor issues in the county was
Franklin Gowen. Gowen became president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad company in 1870. During his tenure there, he ran into conflicts with the Workingman’s Benevolent Association and the Molly Maguires.
The more peaceful labor movements were mainly the work of the Workingman’s Benevolent Association, under the leadership of
John Siney. The group formed in 1869 and held several strikes with some success. In 1875, miners employed by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad held a strike that lasted six months and eventually disbanded the group.
Somewhat more famous than the WBA were the
Molly Maguires, an alleged secret society of Irish miners in Pennsylvania. Gowen blamed the crime in the region on the group and hired the Allan Pinkerton Detective Agency to investigate. After several trials, 20 men accused of being Molly Maguires were hanged. In 1877, nine of them were hanged in Pottsville.
In 1902, the United Mine Workers of America managed to improve working conditions and wages for miners, but the decline of the coal industry began shortly after World War I. The industry saw a small spike in demand during the Great Depression and World War II, but oil and natural gas began replacing coal soon afterward. Schuylkill County then began shifting its economy toward manufacturing and the service industry. During that time, the textile industry grew rapidly.
Despite all the economic and political shifts, the people of Schuylkill County have always persevered. Due to the mining industry, the county has developed an
ethnically diverse population. In the early 19th century, immigrants from Ireland, Wales, England and Germany came to work the mines. Toward the second half of that century, Polish, Italian, Lithuanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Slovakian and Serbian immigrants arrived as well.
People from Schuylkill County have served in every war since the Revolutionary War, before the land was officially a county. During the Civil War, soldiers from Schuylkill County made up part of the
First Defenders, a group of soldiers that arrived at the Whitehouse three days after President Lincoln called for troops.
Nicholas Biddle, a black soldier from Schuylkill County, was the first man to die during the attack on Fort Sumter. Since then, the people of Schuylkill County have continued to serve their nation in the military.
Schuylkill County has also made significant contributions to the arts. The
Dorsey Brothers were famous big band leaders born in Shenandoah. A number of prominent writers have also come from the county, including John O’Hara and Conrad Richter.
Because of the hard work of its citizens, Schuylkill County provides a variety of educational services and business opportunities. The highway system connects the county to popular travel sites such as Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Schuylkill County has all the tools that today’s citizens need to succeed with enough tradition to feel like home.