Status: Abandoned

There are two Lehigh Valley Railroad tunnels which burrow thru a 2 mile section of the Musconetcong mountains from Pattenburg to West Portal. The eldest tunnel was constructed in 1872 and measured 4,893 feet in length. Lehigh University President and mechanical engineer Henry Sturgis Drinker was responsible for the inception of the first Musconetcong tunnel, which would become the longest tunnel in the eastern United States at the time of its construction. It also bridged a gap which created the first railroad line between Easton, PA and New York City. Today, this tunnel stands bearing a musty odor and is completely flooded. History states that there were both Irish and African Americans working on opposite ends of the tunnel during its construction. When their workforces came closer together, turmoil erupted between the two groups causing injuries and death, thus delaying the tunnel’s completion. There has also been talk of a secret room above the tunnel accessible by a hole in its roof. This room was allegedly used to make and store moonshine and other types of contraband during prohibition. It is hard to verify this claim due to flooding down the whole length of the tunnel.

The newer tunnel, which is currently in use, was constructed in 1927. It was built as a more efficient and structurally sound improvement over the first tunnel. This newer tunnel originally had 2 sets of tracks, but was later reduced to one set, most likely to accommodate larger trains and/or box cars.

-5witchbhakk, 2003