The Dimmick House
Along Broadway stands another reminder of the people who shaped Mauch Chunk during its prosperous nineteenth-century years. The Dimmick House, built in 1871, was the home of former U.S. Congressman Milo M. Dimmick and his family. This handsome Italianate Victorian townhouse is part of the impressive collection of residences along Broadway often referred to as Mauch Chunk’s “Millionaire’s Row.”
Milo Dimmick was born in Pennsylvania in 1811, trained as a lawyer, and served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853. After leaving Congress, he moved to Mauch Chunk in 1853, where he practiced law and became involved in banking.
The date of the house adds an interesting and rather poignant detail to its story. It was constructed in 1871, but Dimmick died the following year, in November 1872. So, although we think of it as the Dimmick family home, Milo himself had only a short time to enjoy the newly built house.
The family’s influence on the town continued through his son, Milton Dimmick. Milton had been born in Mauch Chunk in 1848 and was among the very first students to attend the newly founded Lehigh University. His lasting contribution to his hometown came through the establishment of the Dimmick Memorial Library, created in memory of his family.
Today, the Dimmick House has been restored and is used as a private vacation residence, allowing the building to remain an active part of Jim Thorpe rather than simply a preserved façade.
As we walked along Broadway, buildings like this helped me begin to understand what Mauch Chunk must once have been. The Opera House, grand Victorian homes and institutions created by families such as the Dimmicks are reminders that this picturesque mountain town was once a remarkably prosperous and influential community.
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