One of America's Hidden Gems: The Steamtown National Historic Site
In 2002, the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was designated a National Historic Landmark. The Steamtown National Historic Site is significant for its association with the development of steam locomotive technology and its impact on the industrialization of the United States. The site includes a visitor center, a roundhouse, a machine shop, a coal-fired steam locomotive, and a restored 1912 former Lehigh Valley Railroad passenger station. Learn more here.
The Steamtown National Historic Site was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the history of the steam locomotive in the United States. The site is located on the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W), once one of the largest coal-hauling railroads in the country. The DL&W operated out of Scranton from 1849 to 1972, when the railroad was merged with the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Learn more about An In-Depth Look at the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour.
Steamtown National Historic Site is open year-round and is a variety of interpretive programs and exhibits. The centerpiece is a roundhouse built in 1908 and is one of the oldest surviving roundhouses in the United States. The machine shop, located in the roundhouse, is open to the public and features interactive exhibits.
The Steamtown National Historic Site is located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. The site is accessible by car from interstate 81 and is within walking distance of the Scranton Amtrak station.