The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The community was incorporated as a borough in 1871. Its original name was "Pleasant Valley", and in 1887, it changed to "Avoca", because the name "Pleasant Valley" was already used elsewhere in Pennsylvania. It was named after Avoca, County Wicklow, Ireland.
In 1888, the majority of the 64 people killed in the Mud Run Disaster, a train wreck, were from Avoca.
From 1945 to 1947, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport was constructed in and around Avoca. A small portion of the airport was built in Avoca, while most of it was constructed in the neighboring Pittston Township. Coal mining was the chief industry in the borough for many decades. After the 1959 Knox Mine Disaster, the mining industry in the region collapsed.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Avoca’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Avoca’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewFirst National Bank, Route 11, 1984: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Avoca
See all 6 →
Avoca, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as First National Bank, Route 11 (1984) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.