Vince Hydro Publications

03/12/2024

The real story on Carbon County's Lost Village of Lausanne

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07/10/2024

The Nesquehoning Historical Society is pleased to announce the continuation of its 2024 Presentation Series on local history.

Join us as local author and historian Vince Hydro presents a survey of the famous Mauch Chunk Switchback Railroad. The show is entitled: “The Switchback Railroad: Selected Scenes from Then and then and Now.”

There will be two showings; doors open an hour before the presentation.

Monday, October 28 at 6:00 pm
And
Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 pm

Following his presentation, Hydro will be signing copies of his book: The Summit Hill and Mauch Chunk Switchback Railroad: A Pictorial History, as well as copies of his other books on local history.

The events will take place at the NHS Museum, 157 West Railroad Street, Corner of Ratcliff and Railroad Sts. in Nesquehoning. There is ample parking available in the large lot located next to the Museum, however, we have filled up the lot at recent events. Come early to get a good parking spot and seat in the Museum.

This event is open to the public free of charge, although donations to the Historical Society are always welcome.

05/10/2024

I am leading a walk from D&L White Haven trailhead to Tannery and back on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 10:00 am. If you are attending, please note that the parking area at the White Haven trailhead is CLOSED for construction of new I-80 bridge abutment.
We suggest walk attendees park in the shopping area parking lot just above the trailhead (501 Main St, White Haven, PA 18661).
Once you have parked plan to meet at the trail building housing the restrooms.

Oct 12th 2024 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm - Saturday, October 12 at 10 AM (Rain Date: Sunday, October 13), D&L White Haven South Trailhead Leader: Vince Hydro Join us for a 3-mile out-and-back hike along the D&L Trail starting at the White Haven South Trailhead. We will hike south, stopping at lock 28 and...

04/10/2024

Then and Now. What is colloquially known as the "Packerton Trestle" below Jim Thorpe between D&L Trail milepost markers 104.5 and 105. And just west/north of the trestle, the remains of Lock No. 3, Lehigh Canal Lower Division and its mysterious tunnel.

04/10/2024

Then and Now. Lock No. 4 on Lower Division of Lehigh Canal. About 2.5 miles below Jim Thorpe. In June of 1886, Louis Comfort Tiffany, of Tiffany Stained Glass fame, rode to Mauch Chunk on the Molly Polly Chunker, a converted coal scow. Tiffany traveled with his fiancé,Miss L.M. Knox, daughter of President Knox, of Lafayette College; and other persons, including a chaperone. They tied up at Lock No. 4 and spent the night there before moving on to Mauch Chunk. Tiffany and crew took the attached black and white photos.

01/10/2024

01/09/2024

The Nesquehoning Historical Society is pleased to announce the resumption of our 2024 season of presentations at the Museum. Next on our calendar is a team presentation on coal mining featuring musician Dave Matsinko and historian Vince Hydro. Dave Matsinko’s performance will include selections on various acoustic instruments of music reflecting the heritage of our local area. Vince Hydro will display images of the history of coal mining including first discoveries, types of coal mines and the miners and their families.

There will be two showings:
Monday, September 23, 2024 at 6:00 pm—doors open at 5:00 pm.
Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 1:00 pm—doors open at 11:00 am.

The events will take place at the NHS Museum, 157 West Railroad Street, Corner of Ratcliff and Railroad Sts in Nesquehoning. There is ample parking available in the large lot located next to the Museum, however, we have filled up the lot at recent events. Come early to get a good parking spot and seat in the Museum.

This event is open to the public free of charge, although donations to the Historical Society are always welcome. Hope to see you there!

03/06/2024

One of the best years yet for blooms in the garden

08/05/2024

Have you heard of Carbon County’s lost village of Lausanne and wondered about it—where it was located and what happened to it? Lausanne was a small village founded in 1805 at the mouth of the Nesquehoning Creek on the Lehigh River. The village was the origination point of the earliest ark shipments down the Lehigh River and was originally intended by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company to be the site of company headquarters. As part of its continuing 2024 season of events, the Nesquehoning Historical Society is pleased to announce a talk and visual presentation on Lausanne by local author and historian Vince Hydro, entitled “Carbon County’s Lost Village of Lausanne.” There will be two showings: Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 6:30 pm; and Saturday, June 1 at 2:00 pm. Following his presentation, Hydro will be signing copies of his book: Outpost on the Lehigh River: The Lost Village of Lausanne, as well as copies of his other books on local history.

The events will take place at the NHS Museum, 157 West Railroad Street, Corner of Ratcliff and Railroad Sts. in Nesquehoning. There is ample parking available in the large lot located next to the Museum, however, we have filled up the lot at recent events. Come early to get a good parking spot and seat in the Museum.

This event is open to the public free of charge, although donations to the Historical Society are always welcome.

06/04/2024

Yesterday morning around 9:00 am someone stole the 2 old church bells outside the Nesquehoning Historical Society museum on Railroad Street in Nesquehoning, loading them onto a trailer in broad daylight. Anyone with information about this please contact the Nesquehoning police

02/04/2024

The Nesquehoning Historical Society is happy to announce the start of our 2024 season of presentations at the Museum, with a talk and visual presentation by author and historian Vince Hydro. With all the rains of the recent months, the presentation is appropriately entitled “Floods of the Lehigh River and Selected Feeder Streams.”

There will be two showings:
Monday, April 29, 2024 at 6:00 pm—doors open at 5:00 pm.
Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 pm—doors open at 11:00 am.

The events will take place at the NHS Museum, 157 West Railroad Street, Corner of Ratcliff and Railroad Sts. in Nesquehoning. There is ample parking available in the large lot located next to the Museum, however, we have filled up the lot at recent events. Come early to get a good parking spot and seat in the Museum.

This event is open to the public free of charge, although donations to the Historical Society are always welcome.

06/02/2024

Here is another great picture of Mauch Chunk's famous Prospect Rock, published by James Cremer but most likely photographed by MA Kleckner sometime in the early 1870's.

05/02/2024

A "then" and "later then" shot of what was known as Harlan's Corner in the early days of Mauch Chunk. Ezekial Harlan bought the corner lot that is now the Treasure Shop back in the 1830s when the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company began selling property in Mauch Chunk. It was the first lot sold. Later that location was Yeager's furniture shop. I am not sure of the date of either photo. Ezekial Harlan was the first Burgess of Mauch Chunk and partnered with Asa Packer in many endeavors including operation of the Room Run mines at Nesquehoning and construction of the Upper Division of the Lehigh Navigation.

02/02/2024

There still seems to be a lot of confusion on the internet about some stone ruins in Carbon County, PA. There are very nice ruins located on both sides of James Run between Nesquehoning and Jim Thorpe. While many people attribute these ruins to the village of Lausanne, that is not the case. The village of Lausanne was actually situated right on the west bank of the Lehigh River at the mouth of the Nesquehoning Creek, and lies buried under thousands of tons of coal mine waste. Three of the ruins along James Run were at one time powder magazines for storing black powder away from the mines. On the east side of James Run the ruins of a sawmill can be found, and straddling the creek just south of the sawmill are the ruins of what was once a spectacular arch bridge. I researched the village of Lausanne throughout my lifetime, and in 2023 wrote a book documenting my research. If you just want to read the book, you can visit the Dimmick Memorial Library in Jim Thorpe, which has a copy for research. They also have the book for sale, as does Randall Sellers Bookseller and the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center. It is also on Amazon.

29/01/2024

Here is a nice picture of the Mansion House hotel from the top of what used to be called the Mountain Road, but we now know it as Mansion House Hill.

27/01/2024

For those requesting pictures of East Mauch Chunk here is a photo of Center Street circa 1910. Found in the Brenckman history of Carbon County.