1937 WB Record Almanac, Luzerne Co. in 1936
Typed by Mona Eaton

Luzerne County was signally honored during 1936 by receiving two visits of the President of the United States in less than three months. On Saturday, August 15, Franklin D. Roosevelt inspected the areas which were devastated by the March floods and on Mitchell Day, October 29; he came here for one of the key speeches in the campaign which resulted in his re-election.

The two visits of Franklin D. Roosevelt provided the third and fourth times a Chief Executive came here during his term in office. Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President, was the first. He was an honored guest on July 3, 1878, at the centenary celebration of the Battle of Wyoming, at Wyoming Monument. Theodore Roosevelt was the second President to come here while in office. He spoke at the national convention of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union on August 10, 1905, almost 31 years to the day before his relative, Franklin D. Roosevelt, honored the county with his first visit.

Most vital concern of Wyoming Valley residents during the year were the two March floods. People returned to the inundated regions after the first flood, considered ordinary for the time of the year, subsided. Rain fell for several days and weather and river officials gave assurances a recurrence would not be worse than the menace which had passed, but the stream rose to the unprecedented height of 33.32 on March 19 and damages estimated at $9,000,000 resulted.

Though there was no ceremony, Luzerne County observed its 150th birthday anniversary on September 25. Connecticut Yankees and real Pennsylvanians, having disputed the other’s authority for a number of years, this region came under the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania in 1782, and Luzerne County was carved from Northumberland County on September 25, 1786.

Widening and improvement of Market Street, Kingston, making it one of the best boulevards in Pennsylvania, was completed during the year. Tracks of Wilkes-Barre Railway Corporation were placed in the center of the improved highway and dangerous grade crossings were eliminated. A new bridge, designed to eliminate traffic hazards in the roadway was constructed to carry Wilkes-Barre Connecting Railroad over the new boulevard. The boulevard was dedicated and formally opened with a parade and Mardi Gras on the night of December 13.

Payment of the bonus to men and women who served in the army, navy, or marine corps during the World War
Spurred business in June and provided impetus for the better times which improved as the year wore on. It was estimated the 20,000 World War veterans in Luzerne County received bonds valued at $10,000,000.

Work was started during the year to make the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport at Forty Fort the most modern and satisfactory landing field in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Additional ground was leased to increase the airport’s acreage and City of Wilkes-Barre, which maintains the airport with Luzerne County, contemplated purchase of the leased ground some time in 1937 through an electoral loan which would authorize a $400,000 bond issue. Construction of runways capable of handling airships of any size was started as a WPA project. Negotiations were under taken to expend an additional $300,000 on a two story administration building, mammoth hangar for large transcontinental airplanes, lighting facilities, and other improvements. American Airlines indicated it would use Wyoming Valley Airport if the contemplated improvements were made, considering the local landing field safer than other fields in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Frank Martz, bus magnate, and one of the men who fostered the plan to make the airport one of the best, died in November. He was a pioneer in local air transportation, having inaugurated an airplane line between Buffalo and Newark, which was taken over by one of the large airlines several years ago.