"Mahantongo" is a Lenape word, translated "where we had plenty of meat to eat" or "good hunting grounds." The name is shared by a creek, a valley, and a mountain in central Pennsylvania, and is a common street name in the area. The alternate spelling "Mahantango" is often found in early publications, e.g., (Floyd 1911).
The Mahantongo culture area is much more extensive than the creek valley itself. It straddles Schuylkill, Northumberland, and Dauphin Counties, including several adjoining valleys, among them the Lykens or Hegins Valley to the South, and the Schwaben Creek and Mahanoy Creek valleys to the North. The part of this area that is now included in Schuylkill County was in the first decade of the nineteenth century a huge township called Mahantongo Township.
Until 1811, when Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania was set off, Mahantongo Township was part of Berks County, and was later divided into Upper and Lower Mahantongo Townships, which in turn were divided into smaller subdivisions.
After 1800 the Mahantongo area in Schuylkill and Northumberland Counties became an important settlement point including new industrial towns that were growing up in the anthracite Coal Region to the north - including Shamokin and Mt. Carmel. Mahantongo Township, north of Blue Mountain, is now Schuylkill County.
Nestled in the pocket of the Blue Mountains of the Appalachian chain, the Mahantongo Valley extends east from the Susquehanna River for 17 miles. Bordered to the north by Line Mountain, once the boundary between the Commonwealth and the Indian Lands, it extends four miles to the south where the Mahantongo Mountain closes the valley. rises in the mountains of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania [ clarification needed ]
The Mahantongo Valley aesthetic has been explored in various recent studies, particularly those of Frederick S. Weiser and Mary Hammond-Sullivan who focused attention on decorated furniture made in the region. They described the highly distinctive furniture that had been created between 1798 and 1828 along the Schwaben Creek Area of the Mahantongo Valley. The decorative furniture of the region has also been featured in national publications such as Early American Homes.
Throughout the 20th century the fertile Mahantongo Valley has provided the bordering coal regions with produce. At the northeastern end of the valley where the Line and Mahantongo Mountains meet, farmers traveled to the densely populated coal towns of Shamokin, Mount Carmel, Ashland, Girardville, Shenandoah, Frackville, Mahanoy City, Minersville and others to peddle fresh produce. These traditions carry on today. Mahantongo farmers continue to retail produce locally in addition to regional wholesale distribution.
The Mahantango Valley today comprises seven townships. From west to east they include: Lower Mahanoy, Jackson, Jordan, Washington, Lower Mahantango, Upper Mahantango, and Eldred. Towns and villages from west to east include: Dalmatia, Herndon, Mandata, Pillow, Red Cross, Rebuck, Hebe, Greenbrier, Klingerstown, Leck Kill, Rough and Ready, Hepler, Pitman, and Haas. Significant State Roads through the Mahantongo Valley include SR 147 which stretches north / south from Sunbury to Harrisburg along the Susquehanna River. Also near the western end of the Mahantongo Valley, SR 225 progresses north / south from Shamokin to Mandata. SR 125 bisects the Upper and Lower Mahantango townships running north / south from Shamokin to Hegins. This latter route is well known for its scenic and snaking roadway over the many small hills and dells and is frequented by motorcyclists throughout the summer months.
Mahantongo Street is a street with historically affluent residents in Pottsville. It is the location of the old Necho Allen hotel, the Yuengling brewery (the oldest American brewery still in operation), and the former home of novelist John O'Hara. Also located on the street are many homes of former coal barons and the famous Yuengling Mansion, now the Schuylkill County Art and Ethnic Center. Saint Patrick Church, founded in 1827, is located here. St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Yuengling Park, various Protestant denomination churches also grace this tree-lined street. Pottsville Rotary Little League field is at 20th & Mahantongo Streets. The street comes to an end in a residential neighborhood just after 26th Street. John O'Hara mentions this street in many of his books renaming it "Lantenengo Street."
Schuylkill County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 143,049. The county seat is Pottsville.
Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury.
Mount Carmel is a borough in Northumberland County, located in the Coal Heritage Region of Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley, United States. The population was 5,725 at the 2020 census. It is located 88 miles (141 km) northwest of Philadelphia and 71 miles (114 km) northeast of Harrisburg, in the Coal Region. It is completely encircled by Mount Carmel Township.
Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, 52 miles (84 km) south of Wilkes-Barre. It is located in Pennsylvania's Coal Region.
Pennsylvania Route 61 is an 81.8-mile-long (131.6 km) state highway that is located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States. The route is signed on a north–south direction, running from U.S. Route 222 Business in Reading northwest to US 11/US 15/PA 147 in Shamokin Dam.
Pennsylvania Route 54 is a state highway which runs for 82 miles (132 km) in eastern Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad, originally the Quakake Railroad, was a rail line connecting Black Creek Junction in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania with Quakake, Delano, and Mount Carmel. Opened from Black Creek Junction to Quakake in 1858 and to Mount Carmel in 1860, it allowed anthracite coal mined along the line and bridge traffic to be transported east tos New York City. After 1866, it was merged into the Lehigh Valley Railroad and named Mahanoy Branch.
Pine Creek is a tributary of Mahantango Creek in Schuylkill and Dauphin counties, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 23.7 miles (38.1 km) long. The creek flows through Foster Township, Hegins Township, Hubley Township, and Upper Mahantango Township in Schuylkill County and Lykens Township in Dauphin County. The creek's watershed has an area of 76.8 square miles (199 km2) and its tributaries include Rausch Creek and Deep Creek. Pine Creek is considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to be impaired by abandoned mine drainage and resource extraction. However, it is designated as a coldwater fishery.
Pennsylvania Route 901 is a 26.4-mile-long (42.5 km) state route located in eastern Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 61 in the Coal Township hamlet of Ranshaw. Its eastern terminus is at PA 183 in Cressona. PA 901 runs northwest-southeast through forested mountains in the Coal Region within Northumberland and Schuylkill counties. The route runs concurrent with PA 54 between Locust Gap and Merrian in Mount Carmel Township before it leaves Northumberland County for Schuylkill County. PA 901 has an interchange with Interstate 81 (I-81) and continues southeast to Minersville. The route runs concurrent with U.S. Route 209 to Pottsville before it splits south and continues to PA 183.
Shamokin Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 32.4 miles (52.1 km) long and flows through Mount Carmel, Mount Carmel Township, Coal Township, Shamokin, Ralpho Township, Shamokin Township, Snydertown, Upper Augusta Township, and Sunbury. The watershed of the creek has an area of 137 square miles (350 km2). It experiences significant impacts by abandoned mine drainage and many abandoned mine drainage discharges are in its watershed. Various other impairments also affect parts of the creek's watershed. Shamokin Creek is in the Appalachian Mountains section of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province. Rock formations consisting of sandstone, shale, and anthracite deposits occur in the watershed.
Mahantango Creek is a 36.2-mile-long (58.3 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in Dauphin, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Snyder County counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Pennsylvania Route 147 is a north–south route that runs for 58.3 miles (93.8 km) along the east shore of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania, United States. The southern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 22 /US 322 in Reed Township. The northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 80 (I-80) and I-180 in Turbot Township.
Pennsylvania Route 125 is a 32.0-mile-long (51.5 km) state highway located in Schuylkill and Northumberland counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 443 in Pine Grove. The northern terminus is at PA 61 in Shamokin. The route follows a winding alignment through mountains and valleys in the western part of the Coal Region. PA 125 does not directly access Interstate 81 (I-81); however, north of Pine Grove, there is an interchange with SR 3013 just yards from the highway in Ravine. The route has a concurrency with U.S. Route 209 in Tremont and crosses PA 25 in Hegins. PA 125 was designated in 1928 between PA 25 in Hegins and US 209 in Newtown while the present alignment between Pine Grove and Hegins was a part of PA 25 and the section between Line Mountain and Shamokin was part of PA 225. PA 125 was realigned to its current alignment between PA 443 in Pine Grove and US 122 in Shamokin in the 1930s, with the former section between Hegins and Newtown becoming a realigned PA 25.
Pennsylvania Route 225 is a 48.5-mile-long (78.1 km) state highway located in Dauphin and Northumberland Counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 22 /US 322 in Dauphin. The northern terminus is at PA 61 in Shamokin. PA 225 is mostly a two-lane undivided road running through mountain and valley areas in the central part of the state. The route serves the communities of Halifax, Elizabethville, Berrysburg, Pillow, and Trevorton. PA 225 intersects PA 325 north of Dauphin, PA 147 in Halifax, US 209 in Elizabethville, PA 25 in Berrysburg, and PA 890 in Trevorton.
Mahanoy Creek is a 51.6-mile-long (83.0 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania. There are at least 35 sources of acid mine drainage in the creek's watershed. Anthracite was mined in the upper part of the Mahanoy Creek watershed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mahanoy Creek's tributaries include Schwaben Creek, Zerbe Run, Little Mahanoy Creek, Shenandoah Creek, and North Mahanoy Creek. Little Mahanoy Creek and Schwaben Creek are two streams in the watershed that are unaffected by acid mine drainage. Schwaben Creek has a higher number and diversity of fish species than the main stem.
The 107th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in the Coal Region and has been represented since 2023 by Joanne Stehr.
Schwaben Creek is a tributary of Mahanoy Creek in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Schwaben Creek is approximately 12.4 miles (20.0 km) long. The creek has two named tributaries, which both join Schwaben Creek fairly close to its mouth. The tributaries are called Middle Creek and Mouse Creek. Schwaben Creek flows through Upper Mahanoy Township, Washington Township, and Jackson Township. Nearly all of the creek's watershed is devoted to agricultural land and forests, although there is some development. Painted furniture was also made in the Schwaben Creek valley in the 18th and 19th centuries. The creek is in the ridge-and-valley geographical province.
Trout Run is a tributary of Shamokin Creek in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 1.4 miles (2.3 km) long and flows through Coal Township. The watershed of the stream has an area of 3.01 square miles (7.8 km2). The stream is not designated as impaired and has a high level of water quality. It flows through a valley between Big Mountain and Little Mountain. A reservoir is located in the stream's watershed and it has been used as a water supply. The stream is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery and supports aquatic life.
North Branch Shamokin Creek is a tributary of Shamokin Creek in Columbia County and Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is approximately 4.8 miles (7.7 km) long and flows through Conyngham Township in Columbia County and Mount Carmel Township in Northumberland County. The watershed of the creek has an area of 5.73 square miles (14.8 km2). The entirety of the creek is designated as an impaired waterbody due to metals from abandoned mine drainage. It is acidic, but its pH has been increasing. Underground mine complexes occur within the watershed. The creek has a permeable streambed and experiences flow loss.
Middle Creek is a tributary of Schwaben Creek in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long and flows through Washington Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of 3.28 square miles (8.5 km2). The creek is designated as an impaired waterbody, with the cause of the impairment being siltation, low dissolved oxygen levels/organic enrichment, and vegetation removal and the source being agricultural activity. The creek is classified as a Trout Stocked Fishery.