This land has been used in the past for firefighter and police training. While no signs point the way, the land where Concrete City sits is owned by the City of Nanticoke. Today, Concrete City sits on the edge of Nanticoke a short drive from Wilkes-Barre and is an incredibly interesting place to explore. The homes in Concrete City are hidden in the woods near Wilkes-Barre. The Glen Alden Coal Company, who had taken ownership of the homes from the DL&W Railroad, tried to demolish the homes but gave up after 100 sticks of dynamite failed to significantly damage one of the homes. In 1924, just 13 years after the homes were built, Concrete City was abandoned. The concrete also made installing a needed sewer system for the outhouses virtually impossible. Problems soon cropped up with the homes being both wet and drafty, especially in the winter, making them an unpleasant place to live. The story of Concrete City was shortlived, however. Today, the homes of Concrete City are left to decay after being abandoned for more than 90 years. There was also a concrete outhouse for each home in the backyard. Those who were chosen received a four-bedroom house that had two levels and a basement. Those that were lucky enough to be chosen were high-level employees, and it was required that English be their first language, which would have excluded many employees in the Anthracite mining industry who were first-generation immigrants. The houses in Concrete City were a hot commodity and only 40 of the Truesdale Colliery’s 1,700 employees were able to move into the village. Thanks to the modern building techniques used in the construction of the homes, each poured concrete duplex could be completed in a single day.ĭesigners of the community called it the “Garden City of the Anthracite Region.” The homes in Concrete City were once quite beautiful. In the middle, there was a large central courtyard that had a swimming pool, a baseball field, electric street lights, sidewalks and more. The homes in Nanticoke’s Concrete City were all identical and laid out in a rectangle with six houses on the long side and four on the short side.

Overlooking Concrete City when it was first built.

It is located in a still residential neighborhood in the southwestern PA community of Donora. The concept of concrete housing was a new idea that was heralded by many, including Thomas Edison, and the homes were designed in a, at the time, new type of architecture known as the International Style.Īt least one other Concrete City was constructed in Pennsylvania. (The DL&W would later go on to use concrete to construct the famous Tunkhannock Viaduct in 1915.)

These homes were constructed in 1911 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W Railroad) for the employees at the companies Truesdale Colliery.

Hidden away in the woods near Wilkes-Barre is one of the most incredible ghost towns in Pennsylvania: Concrete City.Ĭoncrete City is a collection of 20 duplex homes made entirely of concrete in present-day Nanticoke, PA. We will make a small commission from these links if you order something at no additional cost to you. Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links.

Abandoned places in pa