Frackville was settled in 1861 and incorporated in 1876, when the villages of Frackville and Mountain City merged to form the borough of Frackville. The name "Mountain City", however, is still a common nickname for the borough. A past diner and beer distributor were both named after it. Early in the twentieth century, anthracite coal mining was the chief industry of the region, although Frackville remained a predominantly residential community. The Mahanoy Plane, which operated from 1862 to 1931 on Broad Mountain just to the north of the borough, was able to hoist 50,000 tons of coal daily. There is a small patch-town owning the name "Mahanoy Plane" at the northern foot of Frackville's Broad Mountain. Industrial relics and infrastructure remain in the thick forest north of the borough's youth baseball complex but historical preservation or restoration has yet to take place. In 1922, Frackville had its own independent brewery that was short lived due to Prohibition. Frackville celebrated its centennial in 1976 while James Nahas was mayor. It was a weeklong event from August 22 to 28 which hosted parades each night and brought the community closer together. The borough's 125th anniversary celebration was held in 2001 and had similar events and effects. It culminated with a Frackville Cruise Night that had routes running throughout the borough. Frackville sits in the middle of Northeastern Pennsylvania's historic Coal Region, about 4 miles south of Shenandoah. Coal mining has largely ceased in the area. Coal mining was never actually done in Frackville itself; it was, however, a source of transporting the coal through the now-defunct railroad companies. Many of Frackville's residents are employed at local factories, retail outlets, and the numerous Pennsylvania State Prisons in the immediate area. Many more commute daily to the cities of Pottsville, Hazleton, Allentown, Reading or Harrisburg to work. Frackville is indeed surrounded by many prisons. In 1900, the population was 2,595; in 1910, 3,118; and in 1940, 8,035. The population was 4,361 at the 2000 census. Located at Interstate 81 Exit 124, Frackville is a popular stop for travelers. It is home of the Dutch Kitchen, a well publicized restaurant that is a renovated diner. The Schuylkill Mall, a former Crown Americanshopping mall, resided in the south end of the borough but closed on January 15, 2018 after an official announcement on May 9, 2017 that the mall would close in sixty to ninety days. Frackville Records was the home of recording artists Vladimir's Universe and the J Gochis Band in the 1980s; its current status is unknown.
Geography
Frackville is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of, all of it land.
Police agencies
Frackville's foremost police protection is provided 24 hours a day by the Frackville Borough Police Department. The Frackville Police Station is located in the Borough Hall Building. The Pennsylvania State Police have a barracks located on the east end of the borough. The Schuylkill County Sheriff's Department also retain jurisdiction and provide police service to Frackville.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,361 people, 1,914 households, and 1,169 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,309.8 people per square mile. There were 2,094 housing units at an average density of 3,509.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.14% White, 1.05% Asian, 0.37% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.25% from other races, and 0.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population. The most common ancestries in Frackville is Polish, Italian, German, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian. There were 1,914 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.88. In the borough the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $32,071, and the median income for a family was $47,553. Males had a median income of $31,412 versus $21,836 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,587. About 2.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
In popular culture
In a commercial bumper during an episode of Pardon the Interruption that first aired August 3, 2010, Tony Kornheiser mentioned that in Frackville it's 20 degrees colder than anywhere else on Earth. Frackville was home of the Schuylkill County Brew Fest from 2015-2018. The fest has since moved operations to Pottsville, PA in 2019.
