{"id":170889,"date":"2026-04-20T15:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/170889\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:31:14","slug":"scranton-to-throw-itself-a-160th-birthday-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/170889\/","title":{"rendered":"Scranton to throw itself a 160th birthday party"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCRANTON \u2014 Scranton and what today are its neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Providence each were boroughs before they joined together to become the city of Scranton in 1866.<\/p>\n

Now 160 years old, Scranton will hold a birthday party on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at the Everhart Museum in Nay Aug Park, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make sure that we do a real celebration for Scranton\u2019s 160th birthday, since it\u2019s happening especially in the same year that America turns 250\u2033 years old, she said. \u201cWe think that\u2019s a neat confluence of milestones.\u201d<\/p>\n

The birthday party, which will be open to the public and have free admission, will feature music, food trucks, activities for kids and historical exhibits.<\/p>\n

Providence was the first area of the city settled in the late 1700s by colonial settlers, including Isaac Tripp and his descendants, said Lackawanna Historical Society Assistant Director Sarah Piccini. The historic Tripp House, built in 1778 by Isaac Tripp II at 1011 N. Main Ave., remains the oldest house in Lackawanna County.<\/p>\n

In the 1800s, Scranton became a cradle of the Industrial Revolution at the now-historic Scranton Iron Furnaces site at 159 Cedar Ave. Still standing from a bygone era, the massive, now-mute furnaces originally were operated by the Lackawanna Iron and Steel Co. between 1840 and 1902. It was the site of the first mass production in the United States of iron T-rails for railroads. The four surviving stone blast furnaces are remnants of an extensive operation and represent the early iron industry in the United States. In 1902, the company dismantled the plant and moved it to Lackawanna, N.Y., to be closer to high-grade iron ores.<\/p>\n

Other historical sites and buildings abound throughout the city. Coal mining, silk mills and manufacturing also mark the city\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

The Everhart Museum, which is the region\u2019s only natural history, science and art museum, dates to 1908 and endures as a cultural gem of Scranton. The 160th birthday party also will showcase the museum and Nay Aug Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a way to bring the community together, importantly at a place like the Everhart that itself has had a real renaissance in the last few years,\u201d Cognetti said of the birthday party. The museum is \u201ca place that\u2019s been around for a long time and has seen many different phases, but it\u2019s absolutely in a new phase of growth and excitement in parallel to how the city has added lots of new festivals and events, as people get a renewed sense of pride and place in Scranton.\u201d<\/p>\n

The birthday party also will \u201ckick off a whole spring, summer and fall of America 250 events,\u201d the mayor said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The historic Scranton Iron Furnances in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sign at the historic Scranton Iron Furnances in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Tripp House in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An historical marker sign at the Tripp House in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The entrance sign at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Civil War monument in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A railroad track T-rail on display at the historic Scranton Iron Furnaces in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 1888 Scranton Muniicipal Building, also called City Hall, in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 1888 Scranton Municipal Building, also called City Hall, in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The cornerstone of 1888 Scranton Municipal Building, also called Ctiy Hall, in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A cannon outside of the Lackawanna County Courthouse., at right, in Scranton on April 15, 2026. In the background is the Scranton Electric Building and its iconic rooftop sign. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Everhart Museum in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A statue of Isaiah Everhart outside of his namesake museum in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Everhart Museum in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Everhart Museum in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lace<\/p>\n

Lace Village in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"in<\/p>\n

in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural along the Biden Expressway under a University of Scranton in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 20<\/p>\n

The historic Scranton Iron Furnances in Scranton on April 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2014 Scranton and what today are its neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Providence each were boroughs before…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170890,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,139,28,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-170889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}