I'm hoping to start up some conversations about the history of old Mauch Chunk through this blog by posting a number of old photos, newspaper articles, etc. Probably will concentrate on one area of town and then another with the photos - articles will be whatever I'm running into as I read the old papers. If you have photos, stories, whatever to contribute, let me know!
To start things off, here's a relatively rare stereoview image of the coal schutes taken by A.M. Allen of Pottsville. View #313 Coal Schutes at Mauch Chunk. The view is very faint, but is taken from an interesting angle - through the cross supports of the MC to EMC bridge looking down river. Taken sometime prior to 1872.
Here are a couple of close-ups - plenty of canal boats and the schutes complex:
