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| The Memorial Plaque |
Along my journeys on the back roads of
Pennsylvania I came across the little town of Lilly. The town has
only a population around 900 now but in its prime was a bustling
mining town in the early 1900s. Over the years I have found that
every town has a story. Even the smallest of towns has
some unique or memorable history. Even the small town of Lilly has a story. In fact, historians have claimed the
town played a pivotal role in American history. Not to bad for a little mining
town in central PA.
In the 1900s there was a huge
influence of the Ku Klux Klan in America and in Pennsylvania. At one
time almost every county in Pennsylvania housed a chapter of the
Klan. While most of the southern members of the Klan were outspokenly
against African-americans, the northern part were mainly against
immigrants. The Italian and Irish Catholic immigrants were usually
targeted more than others. In the 1920s the town of Lilly was a
majority of Catholic with about 10% of Protestant faith. The Klansmen
had been active in the area for some time, but the town made it a
constant effort to remove crosses they had placed and keep their
activity to a minimum.
On the evening of April 5th
1924 the towns courage and strength would be put to the test. Two trains
carrying over 400 armed Klansmen came to Lilly. A few of the towns
people who were either klan members or sympathizers and helped them
to cut all the power to the town and cut timber for 2 crosses to burn
right outside of the towns limits. The Klansmen marched through the
town and into the field and had their ceremony of cross burning and
exploding dynamite to intimidate the townspeople While the ceremony
was taking place the towns people were starting to collect in the
streets. They were not intimidated and began to form a riot against
the Klan.
Once the Klan finished their ceremony,
they began their way back to the train station and were met by the
angry townspeople of Lilly. Armed with few firearms and fire hoses
the townspeople rioted against the Klansmen being in their home and
successfully drove them out. A few casualties happened on both sides
with many wounded. The story made national headlines about how
the small town stood up and took action against them. Later that year
after the Klansmen's march in Washington D.C., their numbers started
to decline.
For many years the people of Lilly
didn't talk about the night of April 5th 1924.Slowly as
the residents of Lilly became older they started to tell their
stories to future generations and these are well documented in many
local history books. A little over 80 years had passed and in 2008 a
memorial was erected, dedicated to the riot against the Klansmen by
the people of Lilly. The memorial sits next to the Railroad that runs
through Lilly on the corner of Railroad St. and Cleveland St. Every
town has a story and Lilly's residents have one to be proud of.
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| Inscription Below the Memorial Plaque |
The Lackwanna County Tuberculosis Hospital, formerly
the West Mountain Sanatorium, was first established in 1903 facilitated
with 20 beds. Through the years the hospital grew and at its peak had
about 100 beds available for patients. The hospital was the idea of Dr.
J.M Wainwright and was placed
high atop the West mountain overlooking Scranton PA. Most of the
buildings on the campus are now dilapidated and unsafe to venture into.
Ceilings have fallen in and walls have given out. What little remains is
now covered in graffiti and in ruin. At its prime, West Mountain
Sanatorium boosted state of the art radiology and laboratory departments
with new equipment. It also had its own fields and farm and artesian
well to support the patients and staff. The hospital was also noted for
its open air treatments. Patients were actually made it sit in screened
porches throughout the year, sun or snow, to allow the fresh air cleanse
their lungs of Tuberculosis. In 1971, like so many psychiatric and
tuberculosis hospitals of the time, it was shut down. With new laws and new concepts of de-instutionalization
the campus has sat high above the valley looking down at Scranton for
decades quiet. 
Stories have circulated around the old hospital since its closer. Many
people believe the old campus to haunted. Also misinformed urban legends
have plagued the former hospital as well. The remote location along
with the stories have plagued the area. Multiple fires and thrill
seekers have destroyed most of the remaining facility. The sanatorium is
also a hot spot for paranormal investigators. Those who have
investigated the property have claimed to hear haunting voices and
captured pictures of ghostly happenings. Besides the paranormal activity
the sanatorium also has some little known history. For instance, the
song Winter Wonderland was actually written in the sanatorium. Dick
Smith wrote the song while he was being treated
in the Sanatorium for tuberculosis. Unfortunately Smith died before
his song had gained any popularity. 
Our visit to the West Mountain Sanatorium was during the late summer
and at night. We had planned a trip through north-eastern Pennsylvania
and the sanitarium was our last stop. The directions we had were hard
enough to follow let alone it being dark and never being in the area
before. Finally we came across the old front gate and made our way up
the main entrance. The first thing we spotted
was the old well. There was definitely an eerie feeling as we made our
way through the crumbling campus building after building. Old patient
beds, lockers, and miscellaneous equipment was still scattered in the
old buildings. Many of structures had started to fall in and were not
safe to venture into. We didn't experience any strange noises or
paranormal activity while we were there. I was able to get a few decent
photos on my old camera before we decided to call it a night. Hopefully
we will get a chance to see this fading bit of history before it is
entirely gone.
