History of the Borough of Moosic

The date December 9, 1998 officially marked the first 100 years of the existence of the Borough of Moosic. Before that it had been known as Marathon, later to be called Springbrook. The area in the beginning was divided into large farm section and some of these farms gave their names to some of these areas such as Stark Farm from which Starks took its named. Greenwood was named after the dense pine forest covering the area. No.4 derived its name from the No.4 plane of the Pennsylvania Gravity Railroad, and Spike Island received its name from an island off the coast of Ireland. The main street area was the original site of the Dupont Powder Mills.

The first industry in Moosic was coal mining. The demand for workers created stiff competition among the coal companies and many of them sent recruiters to England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for skilled workers. The powder business started in Moosic early with the Moosic Powder Company later to be taken over by the Dupont Powder Mills whose presence in the borough lasted almost a century.

Collieries sprung up throughout the valley and the first built in Moosic was the Starks Breaker. The company built houses near it mines and this practice became a standard procedure in the coalfields. Other collieries in Moosic were Greenwood, Hillside, Blue Goose, Springbrook, Standard, Muskrat and the Spike Island. They copied from the Stark experiment and built houses, company stores and boarding-homes. Demands for jobs brought workers form Poland, Russia, Italy and Germany to the Anthracite Fields. They came for a better life and Freedom. In our community we can still find traces of their early settlements.

The Rocky Glen Amusement Park played a major role in the early days of Moosic Borough. Along with its variety of rides and lakeside activities, it featured top entertainment of it day including the big band names and famous entertainers as well as top prizefighters. It attracted visitors from all over the East Coast until it closed for good in 1988.

At the present time, Moosic Borough is one of the fastest growing areas in the valley. While Lackawanna County is experiencing a decline in population, the borough of Moosic is experiencing growth not only in residential population but industrial and commercial development as well. Moosic is host community to a minor league baseball team and its stadium, the Glenmaura National Golf Course, The Boy Scouts of America Headquarters and the new Lackawanna County Visitors Center. While the past two decades saw a steady sustained growth in this community, the future horizon looms bright for the Borough of Moosic.