Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site
Also known as: Steamtown National Historic Site; Scranton Army Ammunition Pl
Why it's listed
Scranton's Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad yard, on the edge of downtown, became the railroad's central steam locomotive overhaul facility after William Truesdale became president in 1899. Truesdale acquired twenty-three acres of the abandoned Lackawanna Iron and Steel Company east of Washington Avenue and replaced most nineteenth-century structures with larger shops. Frank J. Niles designed several buildings erected between 1907 and 1909, including the five-story brick Pattern Shop and the 120-by-400-foot Foundry, which was built with a steel frame and brick cladding. Nearby, the Dickson Manufacturing Company's Cliff Street works, rebuilt after an 1875 fire, assembled steam locomotives until American Locomotive Company closed the shop in 1908. The yard and the former Dickson site are significant for their role in railroad transportation and industry in the period from 1899 to 1939. Little of the Dickson complex survives beyond one building, and the yard's freight transfer buildings are gone.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the railroad yard was the centralized location for steam locomotive overhaul and non-coal freight transfer during the 1899-1939 period under railroad president William Truesdale. It argues the Dickson site represents a small steam locomotive manufacturer and was the only installation where the Dickson Company built steam locomotives. Significance is stated at the state level.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90001739, listed November 21, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Cliff St., Lackawanna Ave., Mattes Ave., River St. & the Lackawanna R., Scranton |
|---|---|
| County | Lackawanna County |
| Listed | November 21, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001739 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1899-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Niles, Frank J. |
| Architectural style | utilitarian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Industry |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings in the Army portion are described as in use by the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, and the Steamtown portion is a National Historic Site. |
| Acreage | 78 |
| Coordinates | 41.40761, -75.67026 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90001739.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5253206
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.