Location(s)

Luzerne County, PA was formed on September 25, 1786 from Northumberland County. It was named for the Chevalier de la Luzerne. Wilkes-Barre, the county seat, was settled in 1769. In the second half of the 18th century, the area was at the center of a boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Connecticut known as the Yankee-Pennamite Wars (begun 1769). In 1902, the Anthracite Strike paralyzed the production of coal and resulted in changes in the industry.