Editing Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (section)

===19th century===
{{Further|History of anthracite coal mining in Pennsylvania|Avondale Mine Disaster|Twin Shaft Disaster|Lattimer Massacre}}
[[Image:Old Dodson Breaker.jpg|thumb|This [[coal breaker]] in [[Plymouth, Pennsylvania|Plymouth]], built in 1869, was destroyed by fire 20 years later, in 1899.]]
[[File:Lattimer massacre.jpg|thumb|Photo taken just before the [[Lattimer massacre]] on September 10, 1897]]
The county gained prominence in the 19th century as an active [[anthracite]] [[Coal Region|coal mining region]]. In 1791, [[German Americans|German immigrant]] [[History of anthracite coal mining in Pennsylvania#Early History of Coal Mining|Philip Ginder]] stumbled across anthracite (or "hard coal") near [[Summit Hill, Pennsylvania|Summit Hill]]. This resulted in the creation of the [[Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company|Lehigh Coal Mine Company]]. The company had a slow start because of the difficulty in igniting anthracite coal and the inability to transfer it to urban markets. In 1807, Brothers Abijah and John Smith were the first to successfully transport anthracite down the Susquehanna River on an [[Ark (river boat)|ark]]. In 1808, Judge [[Jesse Fell]] of Wilkes-Barre discovered a solution to ignite anthracite with the usage of an iron grate; it allowed for the coal to light and burn easier. This invention increased the popularity of anthracite as a fuel source. This led to the expansion of the coal industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Throughout the 1800s, [[canals]] and railroads were constructed to aid in the mining and transportation of coal.<ref name="luzernecounty.org"/>

As the mining industry grew, a large region north of the Wyoming Valley, close to the [[New York–Pennsylvania border|Pennsylvania border with New York state]], sought independence from Luzerne County. On February 21, 1810, the counties of [[Bradford County, Pennsylvania|Bradford]], originally called Ontario, and [[Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania|Susquehanna]] were created from parts of Luzerne County. The two counties were officially formed in 1812.<ref>[http://bradford-pa.com/sites/history.php Bradford County History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727060055/http://bradford-pa.com/sites/history.php |date=July 27, 2011 }}, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Accessed August 21, 2007</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Township Incorporations, 1790 to 1853|url=http://www.susqcohistsoc.org/incorp.htm|publisher=Susquehanna County Historical Society|access-date=March 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623133749/http://www.susqcohistsoc.org/incorp.htm|archive-date=June 23, 2015}}</ref> Thirty years later, on April 4, 1842, [[Wyoming County, Pennsylvania|Wyoming County]], the region in and around present-day [[Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania|Tunkhannock]], was also formed from a section of Luzerne County.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wycopa.org/About/Pages/WyomingHistory.aspx |title=Wyoming County &#124; WyomingHistory |publisher=Wycopa.org |access-date=January 19, 2018 |archive-date=January 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115184745/http://www.wycopa.org/About/Pages/WyomingHistory.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The County of Luzerne witnessed a population boom as a result of the growing coal mining industry. [[Carbondale, Pennsylvania|Carbondale]], with a population of nearly 5,000 residents, was [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a city on March 15, 1851.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hollister|first=Horace|title=History of the Lackawanna Valley|url=https://archive.org/details/historylackawan00hollgoog|year=1885|publisher=Lippincott|page=[https://archive.org/details/historylackawan00hollgoog/page/n436 488]}}</ref> [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], with a population of nearly 35,000, was incorporated as a city on April 23, 1866.<ref name="Craft1891">{{cite book|author=David Craft|title=History of Scranton, Penn: With Full Outline of the Natural Advantages, Accounts of the Indian Tribes, Early Settlements, Connecticut's Claim to the Wyoming Valley, the Trenton Decree, Down to the Present Time|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028864027|access-date=March 19, 2013|year=1891|publisher=H. W. Crew|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924028864027/page/n25 18]–}}</ref> And Wilkes-Barre, with a population of just over 10,000, was incorporated as a city in 1871.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2131.html|title=History of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|website=u-s-history.com}}</ref> By 1875, anthracite coal from Luzerne County alone represented half the anthracite produced in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.<ref name="luzernecounty.org"/>

Since 1839, the people in and around the cities of Scranton and Carbondale sought independence from Luzerne County. Wilkes-Barre was determined to preserve the integrity of the county; it did not want to lose its assets in the region. Decades later, in the 1870s, residents of the proposed territory were allowed to vote for independent status. Voters favored a new county by a proportion of 6 to 1, with Scranton residents providing considerable support. [[Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania|Lackawanna County]] was finally created from a portion of Luzerne County in 1878.<ref name="bradsby">Henry C. Bradsby, [https://books.google.com/books?id=4BkVAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+h+stanton%22+judge&pg=PA232 History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania], Volume 1, 1893, Pages 232–233</ref>

Even through Luzerne County lost a vital region (the coal mining cities of Scranton and Carbondale), its boroughs and townships continued to grow. [[Hazleton, Pennsylvania|Hazleton]] (in 1891)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hazletoncity.org/Life/history-of-hazleton.html|title=History – Life – Life|last=Administrator|website=www.hazletoncity.org|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-date=April 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412061554/http://www.hazletoncity.org/Life/history-of-hazleton.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Pittston, Pennsylvania|Pittston]] (in 1894) were both incorporated as cities due to their expanding populations. Thousands of [[European immigrants]] poured into Luzerne County due to the booming coal industry. The growing population quickly attracted the attention of factory owners in New York City and [[Philadelphia]]. Dozens of factories throughout Luzerne County were established to take advantage of the ever-increasing pool of available labor.

With an increasing population and the build-up of industry in the region, tragedies became more frequent in the second half of the 19th century. Sixteen people were killed – largely in factories – when a devastating [[Fujita scale|F3]] [[tornado]] struck Wilkes-Barre on [[1890 Wilkes-Barre tornado|August 19, 1890]].<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/06/15/striking-in-the-dark-of-night-the-wilkes-barre-tornado-was-strangely-strong/| title = Striking in the dark of night, the Wilkes-Barre tornado was a freak - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> It was the deadliest tornado in the county's history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/bgm/august191890wilkesbarretornado|title = August 19, 1890 Wilkes Barre Tornado}}</ref> The region's first significant mining disaster occurred on September 6, 1869, when a massive fire at the [[Avondale Mine Disaster|Avondale Colliery]] in [[Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Plymouth Township]] killed 110 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/avondale-mine-disaster-claimed-110-lives-1.231649|title=Avondale mine disaster claimed 110 lives|author=Cheryl A. Kashuba|date= September 6, 2009 |publisher=The Times-Tribune|access-date=April 23, 2010}}</ref> Another consequential mining accident occurred on June 28, 1896, when the Newton Coal Company's [[Twin Shaft Disaster|Twin Shaft Mine]] in Pittston City caved-in and killed 58 miners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=10470 |title=Twin Shaft Disaster Marker |publisher=Hmdb.org |date=August 19, 2008 |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041807/http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=10470 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/pa/mines/pittston-minecavein1896.htm |title=GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods – Events That Touched Our Ancestors' Lives |website=www.gendisasters.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121045539/http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/pa/mines/pittston-minecavein1896.htm |archive-date=November 21, 2008 }}</ref>

Towards the end of the 19th century, labor unrest and union activity intensified in the region. Miners protested poor working conditions and unfair pay. This revved up tensions throughout the county. One of the most notable and deadly confrontations occurred on September 10, 1897 (near Hazleton). Luzerne County Sheriff James Martin formed a [[Posse comitatus (common law)|posse]] and fired on a group of unarmed striking miners in what is now known as the [[Lattimer massacre]]. Roughly nineteen people were killed and dozens more were wounded. Luzerne is infamous for being the last county whose sheriff legally formed a posse to restore order in a time of [[civil unrest]].<ref name="Novak">[[Michael Novak|Novak, Michael]]. ''The Guns of Lattimer''. Reprint ed. New York: Transaction Publishers, 1996; {{ISBN|1-56000-764-8}}</ref>
<gallery widths="250px" heights="150px" class="center">
File:The Valley of Wyoming MET DT4598.jpg|[[Wyoming Valley]] in the 1860s
File:Birds eye view of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (2675064226).jpg|[[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]] in 1872
File:Hazleton (2674307151).jpg|[[Hazleton, Pennsylvania|Hazleton]] in 1884
File:Pittston-1.jpg|center|[[Pittston, Pennsylvania|Pittston]] in 1892
</gallery>