Item 23: Newspaper articles on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre (multiple within) , 1900-1955

Item — Box: 15, Folder: 32

Staff Only

Newspaper articles on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre (multiple within) , 1900-1955

Dates

Created: 1900-1955

Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities

Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.

Access:

All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.

Extent

1 items

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Type of Material:

Newspaper articles

Condition Note:

Good.

Measurements:

11 x 9 in; 8.25 x 4.5 in;

Title:

River Commons’ Articles

Description:

This contains clippings of different articles on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre. The first article is titled “River Common Site: Judge Woodward Says County May Build There” from December 29, 1900 and is a photocopy of a newspaper article from Wilkes-Barre Daily Record detailing a court case regarding construction at the River Common in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The second is an article from the Sunday Independent on January 29, 1939 regarding the Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. The article mentions the original deed called it “Centre Square” although it is not exactly a square, and that it did not mention the coal that was present below it, and now the Lehigh Valley Coal Corporation was refused the rights to mine it. The article mentions Thomas Cooper, Lord Butler, Matthias Hollenback, and Jesse Fell who were involved in the transferring of the land to the municipality of Wilkes-Barre. The article mentions that they originally intended for the land to be used as pasture land for cows. The third is an article from the Wilkes-Barre Record titled “Glen Alden Wants to Mine Under Common” from October 14, 1954. The article details a dispute between the Glen Alden Coal Company and the Lehigh Valley Coal Corporation over who can mine the coal beneath South River Common, and the people involved in looking back on historical records to see who has claim over the land. Generally, the article is discussing the complicated history of the land and they are still unsure who has legal ownership of the land. The next article does not have a date nor newspaper listed, but is likely also from the Wilkes-Barre Record from around the same time titled “Court May Get Commons Coal.” This article discusses the proposals of Glen Alden Coal Company and the Lehigh Valley Coal Corporation’s proposals for purchasing or leasing the land in order to gain access to the coal and the city council’s thoughts on this. The next article is titled “Looking Back” from the Wilkes-Barre Record gives information about events that occurred on December 31 in their history. One is from December 31, 1904 and talks about objections to lease the coal below the River Common. The next article also likely from the Wilkes-Barre Record around a similar timeframe is titled “Ownership of Commons Coal to be Discussed” and talks about several attorneys meeting to discuss the question of ownership of the coal beneath the River Commons. The goal of the meeting is to find whether the city is able to sell or lease the land for mining purposes. The next article does not include the title of the newspaper and is from 1954. It is titled “City Lacks Right; Cannot Sell Coal” and discusses the controversial debates if the coal beneath the River Commons could be sold and the recent informing of the city council that they do not have the authority to decide this. The article also details the history of the land as a means of showing that the city does not have authority over the land. The next article is titled “City to Record Data on Coal” and does not include information as to which newspaper it is from, or the date. The article discusses the requests of Lehigh Coal Company and Glen Alden Coal Company to mine the coal were rejected. Research finally brought the conclusion that the coal cannot be used for private purposes. The next article does not include the name of the newspaper, but is from 1958. It is titled “River St. Widening is Opposed by Society” and includes the subheading “Payne Says ‘Beauty And Historical Significance Would Be Destroyed.” The article discusses the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society's stance against using the River Common as parking or widening South River Street. There was some support to use the area as parking for students at Wilkes University, however the Society remained opposed. The next article is from the Sunday Independent on July 24, 1955 titled “Now is the Time to Make Sure Coal Under Central City is Secure.” The article says that it seems as though some moves towards gaining access to the coal below the River Commons. The next article is titled “Wilkes-Barre May Not Own Coal Under Common; Check Delays Action” and does not include information about the newspaper or the date. The article also provides the information that research is being done to see who has legal ownership of the River Commons land.