The area that would become Mount Carmel was successively part of Chester, Lancaster, and Berks counties before the formation of
Northumberland County in 1772. Europeans first settled the area around 1770, and anthracite coal was discovered nearby in 1790 by Isaac Tomlinson on Broad Mountain. According to local historian Herbert Bell, the borough was named by sawmill operator Albert Bradford, who drew inspiration from the Biblical
Mount Carmel in Israel, finding the elevated mountain setting comparable to the holy site. Mining did not begin in earnest until the 1830s, but the arrival of the railroad dramatically accelerated development. During the latter part of 1854, the Philadelphia and Sunbury Railroad was completed from
Shamokin to Mount Carmel, opening the region to large-scale coal extraction. That same year, the Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company commenced major improvements to their coal lands near the borough, constructing breakers for the Coal Ridge and Locust Mountain collieries. The borough also supported a wide range of related industries including miners' equipment manufacturing, silk mills, knitting mills, foundries, lumber yards, and a packing plant. Tensions from the industrial boom boiled over in April 1906, when striking miners were shot by troopers of the State Constabulary during a labor dispute; ten men were injured, all of whom survived. The coal industry's decline after
World War I set off a long demographic contraction that continued through the remainder of the century, with the borough's population falling from its 1930 peak of 17,967 to under 6,000 by the year 2000.
Notable events On June 17, 1948,
United Airlines Flight 624 crashed near Midvalley Colliery No. 2 just outside the borough, killing all 43 people on board.
Timeline •
1681, March 4 –
Charles II of England grants a land charter to
William Penn, creating the
Province of Pennsylvania. •
1682, August 24 – Penn divides the Province into three counties: Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester; the site of Mount Carmel falls within Chester County's claimed territory. •
1772, March 21 –
Northumberland County formed; the area that would become Mount Carmel is located in
Augusta Township. •
1931 – Mount Carmel High School football stadium (the "Silver Bowl") opened, one of the first high school stadiums with lighting for night games. •
1948, June 17 –
United Airlines Flight 624 crashes near Midvalley Colliery No. 2, killing all 43 on board. •
2003 – Original viaduct removed and a reconstructed version built by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. ==Geography==