Living in Plymouth, PA — Coal History on the Susquehanna

Plymouth sits four miles west of Wilkes-Barre on the Susquehanna, with the river on one side and the Shawnee ridge rising on the other. It was first settled in 1769 by the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut, remained part of Plymouth Township until it incorporated as a borough in 1866, and held 5,763 residents at the 2020 Census.

This borough carries one of the heaviest chapters in American labor history. On September 6, 1869, fire broke out in the wooden lining of the shaft at the Avondale Colliery, just outside the borough in Plymouth Township, and ignited the coal breaker built directly overhead. The shaft was the mine’s only way in or out. One hundred and ten men and boys died — 108 trapped below and two rescuers — in what was, at the time, the worst mining disaster in American history. The catastrophe drove Pennsylvania to pass landmark mine-safety legislation, including the requirement that every underground mine have at least two entrances. The men who died at Avondale are the reason that rule exists.

Food & Drink

Main Street carries the borough’s local storefronts and restaurants. Happy Pizza at 40 W Main Street operates alongside The Shawnee Room, and the Octagon Bar and Grill at 375 W Main serves American fare and pizza. Kingston, Edwardsville and the Wilkes-Barre restaurant scene are all inside ten minutes.

Things to Do

Main Street hosts the borough’s Kielbasa Festival — an unapologetically Northeastern Pennsylvania celebration of the food that built the coal towns. Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s theaters, arena and riverfront are a four-mile drive east.

Outdoors & Parks

The standout is Moon Lake State Forest Recreation Area — 942 acres within Pinchot State Forest, out in Plymouth Township, open for mountain biking, hiking, fishing, bird watching and nature study. It is one of the better-kept secrets in Luzerne County recreation. The Susquehanna riverfront and the Shawnee Mountain ridgeline frame the borough on either side.

Schools

Plymouth is served by the Wyoming Valley West School District, formed in July 1966 when nine separate districts merged under Pennsylvania’s Act 299 school reorganization law. It serves nine boroughs: Courtdale, Edwardsville, Forty Fort, Kingston, Larksville, Luzerne, Plymouth, Pringle and Swoyersville.

Worth knowing for a borough this size: Wyoming Valley West Senior High School — the district’s only high school, serving all nine boroughs — is located in Plymouth. Every high schooler in the district comes here.

School Performance

State assessment results for the high school serving Plymouth, from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Future Ready PA Index, 2024–25 school year:

• Wyoming Valley West Senior High School — Keystone Literature 40.1% proficient or advanced (statewide 49.9%) · Keystone Algebra I 22.5% (statewide 41.7%) · four-year graduation rate 87.2% (statewide 88.0%)

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Future Ready PA Index, 2024–25. We publish these same three measures, from this same source, on every community page in this guide.

Everyday Essentials

Kingston and Edwardsville cover groceries and daily retail minutes away, with the full Wilkes-Barre lineup four miles east. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, now operated by the nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation as of February 2026, is the nearest hospital with an emergency department.

The Homes

Plymouth is a compact anthracite-era borough, and the housing stock reflects it: closely built singles and doubles on a walkable grid, most of it dating to the decades when the mines were running. It is one of the more accessible entry points anywhere in the Wyoming Valley — which is exactly the appeal for first-time buyers and for investors looking at small multifamily.

Because the borough fronts the Susquehanna, flood zone matters on the low-lying end of town. Ask for the flood determination on any riverside parcel before you offer.