Podcast | From Mauch Chunk to Jim Thorpe - A Pennsylvania town's dramatic 20th century rebrand
Автор: Jake Wynn - Public Historian
Загружено: 2025-11-17
Просмотров: 26
In the 1950s, the once–thriving town of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania was fading fast. Local newspaperman Joe Boyle was determined to revive it - and a chance meeting in 1953 with the widow of legendary athlete Jim Thorpe set off one of the strangest civic reinvention stories in American history.
This episode unpacks how Mauch Chunk became Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania - a story about boosterism, economic desperation, and a bizarre bid for survival.
This is the debut episode of our newly rebranded Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, and we’re thrilled to welcome co-host Molly Keilty to the show.
In our new season, we’re digging into the stories we love while taking a fresh look at how history is interpreted in museums, historic sites, and popular culture.
In this episode, we explore:
• The rise and fall of Mauch Chunk
• The shadow of the Molly Maguires
• Jim Thorpe’s extraordinary athletic career - and his childhood as a “hostage” of the U.S. government
• 1950s publicity stunts like the Nickel-A-Week campaign
• What it means for a town to take on someone else’s name and legacy
#Podcast #Pennsylvania #PublicHistory
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