web1_D4Cam012.jpg

Minor and heavy traffic congestion could kick off the week for commuters

Fire at Moscow workshop kills 12 people, including 3 kids

<p>Have &#8220;lots&#8221; of time on your hands today?</p><p>Well, that&#8217;s good because we&#8217;re going to play a little game involving empty (or nearly empty) pieces of real estate in the area. I&#8217;ll describe the location and give a hint or two. Then see if you know what used to stand on that ground. I&#8217;m sure the Times Leader has included a special set of historical viewing glasses in this edition, so put them on. Ready?</p><p>1. Perhaps the most famous empty lot in the area lies at the northeast corner of West Market and North River streets in downtown Wilkes-Barre, across from the Market Street Bridge. But before you say &#8220;Hotel Sterling,&#8221; let me add that I&#8217;m thinking of what stood there even before the Sterling. It was a building that was music to our ancestors&#8217; ears.</p><p>2. Staying downtown, how about the lot at the northwest corner of South Main and West Northampton streets, where a business was famed for its &#8220;square deals.&#8221;</p><p>3. Lower down on South Main, fronted by an historical marker, is a lot whose abandonment is enough to drive long-time residents nuts.</p><p>4. Not far away, along Pennsylvania Boulevard is a piece of land with some ruins so striking that they could rope in the attention of people driving by.</p><p>5. When folks drive into this busy East Union Street lot next to a convenience store they can get a real education in landing a parking space.</p><p>6. There was many a hot time to be had in the tavern that once occupied this space at the northeast corner of South Washington and East Northampton, across Washington from the block that houses Movies 14.</p><p>7. Now part of the attractive grounds of an elementary school in the Heights, this spot was the original site of an East Market Street store that revolutionized retail back in the 1800s by selling stuff for pocket change.</p><p>8. Let&#8217;s ride over the Market Street bridge to Kingston to see a concrete remnant of something that was truly miraculous when it opened in the 1950s.</p><p>9. Don&#8217;t lose your train of thought. Staying in Kingston, what used to occupy the long and largely empty stretch of land between Schuyler Avenue and Brook Street?</p><p>10. Need some help as we near the end of our quiz? Get up to par by telling us what recreational facility once stood on land that&#8217;s now a highway near Wyoming Valley Mall at a point where three communities meet.</p><p>Need some more time? Just tell your boss you&#8217;re working on something really, really important. I&#8217;m sure he or she will understand.</p><p>OK, here we go with the answers, ready or not.</p><p>1. The Wilkes-Barre Music Hall, where some of the most famous names in 19th-century show business performed. 2. Morris the Square Deal Jeweler, a building with an innovative show window design. 3. Planters Peanuts. I&#8217;m giving an extra point if you still have your old Mr. Peanut pen and pencil set. 4. The Hazard Wire Rope Co., later known as Okonite, once a huge employer here. 5. The North Street Elementary School. 6. The Old Fell House, where Judge Jesse Fell invented the anthracite grate. 7. The F.M. Kirby Five and Dime store, which eventually moved downtown. 8. The Miracle Mart discount department store (later King&#8217;s Department Store). 9. A busy railroad yard, with freight and passenger stations. 10. A miniature golf course &#8211; yes, people played there.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TOM_MOONEY.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Remember When </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TOM_MOONEY.jpg</photo0><caption0>Remember When </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Tom Mooney</p><p>Remember When</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Tom Mooney is a Times Leader history columnist. Reach him at tommooney42@gmail.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Remember When: How well do you remember what used to stand in now nearly empty lots in Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. Take this quiz and see.