"The Trevorton, Mahanoy And Susquehanna Railroad"

In 1828, coal was discovered in Zerbe Gap on Zerbe Run, a tributary of the Mahanoy Creek in Northumberland County, PA. Today we know this area as the site of Trevorton. When Colonel jacob Weiss began uncovering coal there, the town was not yet established. Although this black gold was easily mined, there was great difficulty to transport it to market. Some of this Zerbe Gap coal was put on wagons and hauled to Sunbury where it was put into boats and shipped to New York.

In 1850, John Trevor, a New York banker, invested largely in making improvements to these coal mining efforts. A town was laid out at Zerbe Gap and named Trevorton in honor of him. The proceeds arising from the sale of the town lots were used in the construction of the railroad to the river.

This book describes the establishment of the Trevorton, Mahanoy and Susquehanna Railroad and the construction of the Susquehanna River Bridge at Herndon. The railroad was one of the first, if not the first, established in central Pennsylvania which would later become part of the great Reading Railroad. Also covered are many of the small towns and stops along this railroad as well as the history of the canals of the area.

All told, Steve Troutman has compiled a thorough history of transportation and early industry in the Herndon-Trevorton area, including many vintage black and white photographs and numerous color illustrations, including digital reconstructions of the Susquehanna River Bridge.