Fall Brook, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Fall Brook was once a busy town in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Today, it's known as a ghost town, which means it's completely deserted. The town has been empty since about 1900.
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Fall Brook: A Vanished Town
Fall Brook was a town that grew quickly because of coal. It was founded in 1860 by a company called the Fallbrook Coal Company. This company built the town right next to the Fall Brook Creek.
How Fall Brook Started
The story of Fall Brook began with a discovery. A man named John Magee and his son, Duncan, found coal along the banks of the Fall Brook Creek. Coal was a very important fuel back then. It was used to power trains, heat homes, and run factories.
The Railroad Connection
To get the coal to other places, the Magees also built a railroad. This railroad connected Fall Brook all the way to Corning, New York. From Corning, the coal could be moved onto the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal was like a superhighway of water. It allowed boats to carry goods across New York State. This made it easy to transport the coal to many different markets.
A Growing Community
Because of the coal and the railroad, Fall Brook quickly became a busy place. Many people moved there to work in the mines and on the railroad. By 1862, just two years after it was founded, Fall Brook had a population of about 1,400 people. It was a thriving community with homes, stores, and everything a town needed.
Why Fall Brook Disappeared
However, the coal in Fall Brook did not last forever. Over time, all the coal that could be easily mined was taken out of the ground. When the coal ran out, the main reason for the town's existence disappeared. Without work, people began to leave Fall Brook to find jobs elsewhere. By 1900, the town was completely deserted. It became a ghost town, with empty buildings and silent streets.
A Town Remembered
Even though Fall Brook no longer exists, its name lives on. The town of Fallbrook, California, located far away in California, was actually named after this very town in Pennsylvania. It's a small way that the history of Fall Brook continues to be remembered.
