Dunmore Marks 150th Anniversary

Dunmore, Lackawanna County - It's a big day for a small community in Lackawanna County.

The borough of Dunmore officially turned 150 years old on Tuesday.

While most people know Dunmore for its quaint shops and for being a tight-knit community, many didn't even know about the anniversary.

Others have been planning for months.

"I think people are so bogged down by the pressures of today that it's good to remind them of the heritage they have," Mary Theresa Connolly of Dunmore said.

Tuesday morning, community leaders came together to kick off a year-long sesquicentennial celebration with state and local leaders.

While a lot has changed over the years, many people say Dunmore is still known for its hard-working, caring citizens.

"It comes back to the pride of the people. You can feel it as you talk to people. You can see they love living in Dunmore," councilwoman Carol Scrimalli said.

On April 10th, 1862, the community officially changed its name from Bucktown to Dunmore.

"If the buildings could talk, imagine what they could tell us," Dunmore Mayor Patrick Loughney said. "It's the family tradition that gets passed on from generation to generation that really brings us to where we are today."

A lot has changed over 150 years. Trolley cars and steam engines are long gone but Dunmore is still a place may know.

"If you were going anywhere into the New England states, you had to cut through Dunmore to get there," Karl Wegforth with the Dunmore Historical Society said. "We were the main through-fare to get there."

"People that go away like to come back and they have that tradition built right into them," Mayor Loughney said.

The first annivesary event will be a Memorial Day Parade on May 28th at 1:00 PM.

Officials are also planning a three-day festival on August 16-18th.