[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 62 (Thursday, April 21, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF SCRANTON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 21, 2016

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of 
Scranton, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary on April 23, 2016. 
Scranton has a long history of significant contributions to the 
economic, civic, and social development of our nation. The city was the 
center of America's anthracite coal industry, a major transport hub 
during the golden era of railroads, and home to the first electric 
streetcar.
  In 1778, Isaac Tripp settled the village of Slocum Hollow in the 
Lackawanna Valley. With the founding of the Lackawanna Steel Company by 
Seldon and George Scranton in the 1840s, the small agrarian community 
rapidly transformed into a multicultural, industrial center responsible 
for producing T-rails, which were used to construct railroads all 
across the country. In February 1856, Scranton was officially 
established as a borough. On April 23, 1866, Scranton was incorporated 
as a city of 35,000 people and was merged with the neighboring 
communities of Hyde Park and Providence. When Lackawanna County was 
formed in 1878, Scranton was named as the county seat.
  Today, Scranton is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with more than 75,000 citizens residing 
in the ``Electric City.'' Many of the city's attractions, such as the 
Steamtown National Historic Site, Everhart Museum, and the Lackawanna 
Coal Mine Tour, commemorate Scranton's history as an industrial and 
cultural center. Scranton is home to a thriving, welcoming, diverse 
community committed to celebrating the ethnic heritage on which the 
city was built. It hosts one of the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day 
parades and La Festa Italiana. A hub for higher education, Scranton is 
also home to five colleges and universities: Marywood University, The 
University of Scranton, The Commonwealth Medical College, Lackawanna 
College, and Johnson College.
  It is an honor to recognize Scranton on its sesquicentennial 
celebration. I am proud to represent a city so rich in history with so 
bright a future. May the citizens of Scranton honor their past with 
pride and look forward with confidence to great things as they 
celebrate the city's 150th anniversary.

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