Carbondale Photo Tour (Old Forge, Pittston, West Pittston: city hall, house, prices)

[Boris]

Thank you for those nice shots of Carbondale. I live out of the country and can only come in occasionally, so you have given me a free tour. Thanks again.
Oh, by the way, that "Oh where art thou rich new Yorkers" house, that's been for sale for some time, I think it's reduced to below $30,000 by now. Your picture is much better than the one on Realtor.com, which may be one reason it hasn't sold.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Boris

Thank you for those nice shots of Carbondale. I live out of the country and can only come in occasionally, so you have given me a free tour. Thanks again.
Oh, by the way, that "Oh where art thou rich new Yorkers" house, that's been for sale for some time, I think it's reduced to below $30,000 by now. Your picture is much better than the one on Realtor.com, which may be one reason it hasn't sold.

Thanks, and I'm glad you found the tour to be helpful. My best friend is actually over in Japan right now visiting her brother who is serving in the Air Force. As far as that house is concerned, I just can't believe that nobody else sees the potential in it. If it were in Scranton instead of Carbondale and were priced below $30,000 I would have swooped it up already by taking out an extra loan so that after college in a couple of years I could start fixing it up as my dream home.

[jdshamong]

SWB if you contact your GOV. they should be able to check in to your code offical we had the same problem and I called and now he's no longer the offical.Very Nice Pics we are thinking of takeing a trip to Carbondale.
Mayor
James Smith
See reporting someone dose work.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by jdshamong

SWB if you contact your GOV. they should be able to check in to your code offical we had the same problem and I called and now he's no longer the offical.Very Nice Pics we are thinking of takeing a trip to Carbondale.
Mayor
James Smith
See reporting someone dose work.

Thanks. I live about a half-hour away from Carbondale on the opposite side of Scranton, so I'd more than certainly be overstepping my "boundaries" by showing up at a Carbondale City Council meeting to blast its code enforcement officials for the dozen or so photos I had taken of horridly decrepit homes and commercial buildings. Carbondale has had a long history with urban blight; I believe it was shortly after my tour that a building near the "GUN" shop along Church Street had part of its facade collapse into the sidewalk (it might have even been the gun shop itself but I'm not sure as I haven't been back to town since this tour).

It is up to the residents of Carbondale to rise up and demand change---not outsiders. I myself have been told rudely "butt out" time after time by Scrantonians telling me I have no right to offer ideas because I don't pay taxes there, even though I DO feel as if I have the right to give my opinions since I plan on moving there next year and don't want to see stupid decisions being made that will cause the town to further decline before I get there.

Mayor Justin Taylor seems to be very dedicated and energetic about revitalizing Carbondale, and I think residents should give him a few more years to see what happens. I wouldn't bank on that Pioneer Plaza project being completed anytime soon though. Siniawa & Associates came to Pittston offering US the "pie in the sky" too in terms of two massive penthouse condo towers on our waterfront, but that was years ago and the lot is still home to a beer store, nearly-abandoned office building, and Papa John's. As such I wouldn't get my hopes up for that company starting work on Pioneer Plaza until its many other promised projects get off the ground. Working on Carbondale's project FIRST would be a huge slap in the face to the residents of both Pittston and Wilkes-Barre who have each been promised large-scale projects to help revitalize them from this same company.

[matoto]

The Gallery made my day i have not Been able To go see Carbondale and i am happy that there is some pride in the Historic side Of Carbondale
you see my Great Great Great Grand father John and Sarah Owen and there 7 children from Dowlais South Wales Setteled Here With His Family in 1833 in Carbondale for three years and settled and Built there large Log structures On Blakely Ridge in 1836 and John Owen Died Shortly after wards from a sickness
he had from the Ship Travel my great great Grandfather Edward Owen and Great Great Uncle Evan Owen
Worked In the Mines in Carbondale they walked 7 miles a day from there while they payed for there land on Blakely Ridge they Built a General Store and in feb 18 1856 my great grandfather Evan Isaac Owen was Born on Blakely Ridge
I am also trying to trace my Ansestors and the cemetary at Blakley Ridge? where some are layed to rest there if anyone Has any Information let me know
Please.

[matoto]

The Gallery made my day i have not Been able To go see Carbondale and i am happy that there is some pride in the Historic side Of Carbondale
you see my Great Great Great Grand father John and Sarah Owen and there 7 children from Dowlais South Wales Setteled Here With His Family in 1833 in Carbondale for three years and settled and Built there large Log structures On Blakely Ridge in 1836 and John Owen Died Shortly after wards from a sickness
he had from the Ship Travel my great great Grandfather Edward Owen and Great Great Uncle Evan Owen
Worked In the Mines in Carbondale they walked 7 miles a day from there while they payed for there land on Blakely Ridge they Built a General Store and in feb 18 1856 my great grandfather Evan Isaac Owen was Born on Blakely Ridge
I am also trying to trace my Ansestors and the cemetary at Blakely Ridge? where some are layed to rest there if anyone Has any Information let me know
Please.

[FightinPhils]

Here's a good article from yesterday's Sunday Times on Carbondale's struggling downtown:

The Times-Tribune - Empty storefronts haunt rebirth (http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19193936&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id =415898&rfi=8 - broken link)

[Coalminersgrandson]

Hello SWB!

I enjoyed your photo tour of Carbondale. I have roots in NEPA as my Father was born & raised in Jermyn & my Grandfather was a Coal Mine Foreman for the Hudson Coal Company near the river in town. In 1974, my father took us back to NEPA to show us his Hometown & he also took us to Carbondale while the west side mine fire was still burning & the town had plenty of run down & burned out buildings. Carbondale, while far from perfect looks much better these days & hopefully more of the old homes & buildings will be restored for the future. Another thing that I remember about Carbondale is that a Huge Dragline was working the ground where the New High School now stands as that is where the Mine Fire was located at & my father said that the mine fire was responsible for the burned out buildings in town back then. There was/is a mine fire under Russell Park in Carbondale & hopefully that will be put out someday also. I also had relatives in every town in the valley between Scranton & Carbondale. Most of them resided in Jermyn. however, others lived in Blakely, Archbald, & Carbondale too. NEPA is a very scenic area & would be nice to live there if not for the Economy as good paying jobs there are scarce & I hope that will change someday also. Take Care all.


Sincerely
Keith

[Boris]

Except thanks again for the photo tours. It's nice to see them when I can't be there in person.

[WendyG]

Thank you for sharing your view of Carbondale..My family ran a hotel in the '20's..so these pictures bring me up to date of how the town looks now..Sure would like to see a revitalization plan put in place..because Carbondale IS a special place!