About Shenandoah, Pennsylvania

Shenandoah, Pennsylvania is located Schuylkill County and is 105 milles northwest of Philadelphia. The history of Shenandoah ranges from Anthracite coal to producing some of the greatest Jazz musicians in history.

Shenandoah was settled between 1820 and 1835. The earliest settler was a farmer named Peter Kehley, who would later discover anthracite coal in a nearby stream. Booming growth occurred during the Civil War years caused by the development and opening of several anthracite coal mines. The area was incorporated as a borough in 1866.

The population of our community has been on the decline since World War II when the anthracite coal industry declined. At its height our population reached 30,000 in the 1920's. It now sits at 5,624 according to the 2000 census. We take pride in our town, just as any other small town in America.

Here's a little quote from Wikipedia on some nicknames for our town over the years.

During the town's heyday it was called "the only Wild West town in the East" for the rough-and-tumble attitude of its residents, "the city of churches" for the many houses of worship located within its borders, "the Vilnius of North America" for the large Lithuanian community, and "little New York" for the town's diverse population.

Below are some little known facts about Shenandoah.

Shenandoah is the location of the first United Greek Catholic Church in the United States.We also have the oldest Lithuanian parish in the United States - the St. George Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church.

Shenandoah is famous for its pierogies, thanks in large part to Mary Twardzik, whose son Ted in 1952 used her original recipe to create a known name in the pasta world, Mrs. T's Pierogies.

Famous jazz musicians and bandleaders Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey were born in Shenandoah. Also born in Shenandoah was writer Darryl Ponicsan, who wrote the novels "Cinderella Liberty" and "The Last Detail", and co-wrote the screenplays for "Vision Quest", "Taps", "Nuts" and "Random Hearts". Jerry Wolman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles and founding owner of the Philadelphia Flyers was born in Shenandoah.