The Mansion House

The Mansion House. , "The class that resort here are select, intelligent, of quiet, unostentatious manners, who mostly come here for health and to admire and study the wonders and beauties of nature..." , The Health and Pleasure-Seeker's Guide, 1874, By the 1870s, Mauch Chunk , "the Switzerland of America" , was among the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S. The mountain scenery, cool summer breezes, Glen Onoko's waterfalls, and the thrilling eight-mile ride on the Switchback Railroad attracted thousands of visitors. From the Lehigh Valley Railroad station, a short walk or carriage ride across the nearby bridge over the Lehigh River took visitors to Mauch Chunk's best hotel, the Mansion House. From its 185 guest rooms and numerous balconies, guests could survey the spectacular landscape , natural and manmade. The mountain towering right behind shaded the hotel from the afternoon summer sun, keeping "the rooms delightfully cool and pleasant.", The Mansion House opened in 1825, only a few years after anthracite was first hauled down from the mines to the boats that carried it to Philadelphia. As anthracite streamed out of the surrounding mountains, business and money poured into the fast-growing town. The Mansion House grew along with Mauch Chunk; by 1874, it stretched for 355 feet along the riverfront, had grown to five stories and accommodated 400 guests. But as visitors' tastes changed, the Mansion House declined, and closed after the 1894 season. The building was demolished in stages; now only the north wing, housing a beverage retailer, survives.,