The Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice
February 12, 2008
Old Fell Tavern still draws crowd for pair of milestone anniversaries
by Denise Allabaugh

A crowd gathered Monday in the parking lot where the Old Fell Tavern once stood to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Luzerne County Historical Society and the 200th anniversary of Jesse Fell successfully burning coal in an open grate.

On that spot at South Washington and East Northampton streets 200 years ago, Fell’s famed experiment led to the widespread use of coal as a fuel source and helped pave the way for the Industrial Revolution. Coal was lit on the original grate at Monday’s ceremony and many people used it to keep warm on a bitter cold day.

Tony Brooks, first vice president of the Luzerne County Historical Society and chairman of the Sesquicentennial Committee, said he found it fitting the ceremony was held on such a cold day since Fell was intent on finding a way to burn coal for a home-heating source.

“If Jesse Fell was not freezing himself on a day like today, worried he would run out of wood for his fireplace, or he was just plain too tired to chop more trees down, our distinguished citizen Jesse Fell might not have been so driven to find a better way to heat his home and his tavern,” Brooks said. “Just imagine what America would be like and what Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County would be like without coal, without the creative ingenuity of Jesse Fell and without the Industrial Revolution. America most certainly would be a different place today.”

Fell, a Quaker originally from Bucks County, was Wilkes-Barre’s first burgess. His tavern was demolished in 1986 to create a parking lot for Wyoming Valley Health Care System employees, but it did not become a parking lot at that time. It was a grassy lot for a long time, formerly used by trailers during construction of the theater project. The city purchased the site in 2000 and it is now a paved parking lot. A historical marker in front of the site is dedicated to Fell.

Descendants of the Fell family, Sally Teller Lottick, her son Adam Teller Lottick and grandchildren, Samantha Teller Lottick, Kadan Edward Lottick and Antrim Ranjit Lottick, attended the ceremony. Speakers included Luzerne County Commissioners Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla and Mayor Tom Leighton. The Luzerne County Historical Society preserved the grate on display Monday.

The historical society was formed on Feb. 11, 1858, when a group met at the Old Fell Tavern to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fell burning coal. During that ceremony, Gen. E.L. Dana suggested founding a historical society. A resolution was unanimously passed and the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society was incorporated in May 1858. Its name was changed to the Luzerne County Historical Society in 2000. It is the oldest county historical society in Pennsylvania.

Several events are planned for the Luzerne County Historical Society’s 150th anniversary, including the exhibition of 150 treasures for 150 years on March 14, a gala dinner at Luzerne County Courthouse on June 21 and a fall family event at the Swetland Homestead Sept. 27-28. For more information, visit www.luzernecountyhistory.com.

© The Citizens' Voice 2008

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