Day 2, 2:00 PM - Jim Thorpe, PA

After a recommendation from one of the innkeepers at Peter Herdic Inn, we decided to head to Jim Thorpe, PA for some more Victoriana. The town is the county seat of Carbon County and known as the "Switzerland of America," thanks to an old drawing in a restaurant. Not only is the town known for its 19th century Victorian architecture (in a plethora of styles including Federalist, Greek Revival, Second Empire, Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne, and Richardsonian Romanesque) but also for the popularity of pasttimes such as paintballing, hiking and white-water rafting.

Some examples of Victorian architecture along the main street
Unfortunately, we couldn't go to the Asa Packer Mansion or Harry Packer Mansion. Both are fine examples of Victorian architecture and well-preserved in period styles. Asa Packer was the first president of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Harry Packer was the founder of Lehigh University.

A little town history...
The town of Jim Thorpe got its name from a rather unusual circumstance. Citizens of the area was looking for a way to attract more tourists (which would thereby improve its economy) and decided to name the town after the Olympic athlete, Jim Thorpe's death. Some interesting facts about Jim Thorpe: he won several Olympic gold medals in pentathlon and decathlon, played professional baseball, basketball and college football. He lost his Olympic titles when it was discovered that he played baseball for money. He lived in poverty until his professional athletic career ended. When his third wife learned that Pennsylvania town, Mauch Chunk was looking to attract tourists, she made a deal to preserve his legacy--Mauch Chunk bought Jim Thorpe's body, erected a monument to him, and renamed the town in his honor. He had never been to the town.