[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4951-4952]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF SCRANTON

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to my hometown 
of Scranton, PA, as it celebrates its 150th anniversary, or 
sesquicentennial.
  Ever since William Penn invited carpenters, masons, weavers, and 
other skilled workers to settle in Pennsylvania, the story of our 
Commonwealth, and in particular northeastern Pennsylvania, has been the 
story of working people.
  At the dawn of the 19th century, what would become known as the city 
of Scranton became a home to new immigrants who fought desperately to 
escape the horrors of religious persecution, famine, and poverty in 
Europe and dreamed of a better life. Many of the new settlers worked in 
the darkness and danger of the anthracite coal

[[Page 4952]]

mines in order to provide for their families. My grandfather, Alphonsus 
Casey, at the age of 11, was one of those workers. He was a ``mule 
boy'' who was once kicked in the face by a mule, sustaining a deep cut 
from his forehead, across his face. As my father would recall years 
later, ``There were no benefits--no worker's compensation, no safety 
net in place to take care of the adult worker, much less an injured 
child.''
  A 2002 book, ``A History of the Commonwealth,'' described the lives 
of our region's coal miners as ones of ``danger and economic 
uncertainty.'' The great novelist Stephen Crane recounted a visit to 
one mine in the region by describing an ``extraordinary, black puzzle'' 
in which the ``shouts of mule-boys'' were sometimes the only sounds.
  The work ethic of those who descended into the depth and darkness of 
those mines shaped Scranton and impacts the city all these years later. 
As the coal jobs were lost, the city and the region went through a 
painful transition that left scars on our land and our people. What has 
undergirded the city of Scranton's resilience over all these years has 
been a heritage of hard work and sacrifice and an enduring belief in 
the promise of tomorrow.
  Today Scranton's economy has been transformed by so-called ``meds and 
eds.'' The city is home to some of our State's top universities and 
medical facilities. It is a community of entrepreneurs and is being 
shaped by a new generation of immigrants seeking the same better life 
as Scrantonians of an earlier era.
  Driving the city's education sector are the five colleges and 
universities that are preparing thousands of students for careers in 
the 21st-century economy--advanced manufacturing, technology, and 
energy. The Commonwealth Medical College, which is the first M.D.-
granting medical school built in Pennsylvania since 1962, is providing 
state-of-the-art medical education to medical students from across the 
globe. In addition, Commonwealth Health and Geisinger have entered the 
medical market in Lackawanna County and are investing over $300 million 
in innovative technology and improved medical care.
  For the last 150 years, Scranton's story has been part of the fabric 
of our Nation. As the city looks forward to the next 150 years, it is 
uniquely positioned to create its own future.
  Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the city of Scranton 
on its 150th anniversary and highlight the rich and industrious 
heritage that has continued to drive the Electric City well into the 
21st century.
  The story of Scranton is unique and yet distinctly American. The 
city's visionary founders, brothers George and Selden Scranton, arrived 
in the Lackawanna Valley in the early 1840s and, after early failures, 
became the first Americans to produce iron rails on a mass scale. 
Railroads expanded dramatically throughout the United States once these 
crucial components became available, and Scranton became a hub of 
commerce, manufacturing, and transportation. By the 1860s, the Scranton 
family's company had grown into the second largest iron-manufacturing 
center in America, employing thousands of people. With 35,000 residents 
at the time, Scranton was officially incorporated as a city on April 
23, 1866, and would become the county seat for the newly formed 
Lackawanna County in 1878.
  The success of Scranton's coal, iron, and steel industries served as 
a catalyst for other important enterprises in the region. Large-scale 
textile, printing, and food-processing operations, together with 
increased educational opportunities, all played a vital role in the 
region's growth. Between 1860 and 1910, Scranton's flourishing 
industrial activity drew thousands of new immigrants.
  The story of the Scranton family's endeavor, now known as the 
Lackawanna Steel Company, is one of the greatest success stories of 
American manufacturing. Through perseverance and dedication, Scranton 
grew from a small, agrarian village to a thriving, multicultural city.
  Today Scranton is a leader in higher education, medicine, and 
manufacturing. Driving Scranton's development are five institutions of 
higher education preparing thousands of students for a 21st century 
economy. For example, the Commonwealth Medical College provides state-
of-the art medical education to students from across the globe, and 
companies in Lackawanna County have made significant investments in 
innovative technology and improved medical care. Scranton is well-
positioned to be a beacon for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to 
take advantage of the high-quality workforce that Scranton's colleges 
and technical schools are producing.
  Today I wish to recognize the profound contributions that the city of 
Scranton and its residents have made to the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania over the last 150 years. I wish them all the best as the 
people of Scranton celebrate the city's sesquicentennial anniversary on 
April 23, 2016.

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