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Gateway to Anthracite Region, borough noted for many firsts
A bicentennial town in 1999, Tamaqua is an active community rich in history. Billed as Gateway to the Anthracite Region, Tamaqua showcases its heritage as a coal mining and railroad center.

The town is noted for many firsts, including the first commercial railroad which hauled coal with a steam engine; the nation’s first fish hatchery; the 1885 Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Tamaqua, one of the country’s first electric plants; and the 1830 Tamaqua Primitive Methodist Church, the nation’s oldest church of that denomination.

Tamaqua was settled by Swiss-German Revolutionary War veteran Burkhardt Moser in 1799. The log cabin he built in 1801 still stands.

Population: 7,174  Founded: 1799

Points of interest

  • Self-guided walking tours starting at the Tamaqua Historical Society Museum. Free, full-color brochures detail 18 historic sites.
  • Father's Day and second Sunday in October, Summerfest and Heritage festivals.
  • First weekend in December, Spirit of Christmas Festival

Government
Seven-member borough council.
Mayor: Richard M. Hadesty Sr.
Members: Kenneth A. Smulligan, president;James J. Knowles, vice president; Thomas Cara, Stephen P. Tertel, John Trudich Jr., Mahlon F. Kachelries, Ann M. Simard.

Municipal Address and Phone Number
320 E. Broad St., Tamaqua 18252
570-668-3444 or 668-0300
Fax: 570-668-5818

Office Hours
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Regular Meeting Time
7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays. Work sessions held on the second and fourth Wednesdays.

Part of the Tamaqua Area School District

DISTRICT OFFICE:
P.O. Box 112, Tamaqua, Pa 18252
Phone: 570-668-2570
Fax: 5570-668-6850
Superintendent: Frederick T. Bausch

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 2270

HIGH SCHOOL:
Stadium Hill Road, Tamaqua, Pa 18252
Phone: 570-668-1901
Fax: 570-668-2970
Principal: Raymond J. Kinder

TAMAQUA MIDDLE SCHOOL:
502 Penn Street, Tamaqua, Pa 18252
Phone: 570-668-1210
Fax: 570-668-5027
Principal: Koreen Nalesnick
Assistant Principal: Francis W. Chickelly Sr.

TAMAQUA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
West Elm and Nescopec Streets, Tamaqua, Pa 18252
Phone: 570-668-3306
Fax: 570-668-3235
Principal: Koreen Nalesnick


RUSH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
50 Meadow Avenue, Tamaqua, Pa 18252
Phone: 570-668-6932
Fax: 570-668-6858
Principal: Koreen Nalesnick


WEST PENN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
RR 2 Box 224, New Ringgold, Pa 17960
Phone: 570-386-5051
Fax: 570-386-3226
Principal: Koreen Nalesnick
Assistant Principal: Francis W. Chickelly Sr.

BOARD MEETING DATE/TIME:
7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month; committee meeting, 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month
Map of Tamaqua (PDF -24K)