Waverly, Pennsylvania

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Waverly, Pennsylvania

Waverly is a small community in Waverly Township, Lackawanna County. It’s about 1.6 square miles in size and has around 504 residents (2024). The town sits roughly 9 miles north of Scranton.

The area was originally called Abington Center and was started in the late 1700s by settlers from Connecticut along the Warriors’ Path. In the 1800s it grew into a busy little town with farms, iron works, stores, and inns. A railroad arrived in 1880, and the town’s prosperity faded afterward. Waverly was also a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Today, Waverly is part of the Abington Heights School District. The first school opened in 1804, and a central school was built in 1830. Madison Academy opened in 1844 as a private school. After a major downtown fire in 1916, the Belin family built the Waverly Community House, completed in 1920. The Community House now houses the post office, a gym, a playground, a preschool, and many community programs, and it hosts events like a home-and-garden show and summer concerts.

Three older churches from 1872 remain active, and the old AME Church from the Underground Railroad era is preserved as a private home. The main roads through Waverly are PA Route 632 (Carbondale Road / Clinton Street) and PA Route 407, which connect to I-81 and nearby towns.

Today Waverly is a quiet, mostly residential area that many people who work in Scranton call home. Local spots include the Waverly Deli and the Waverly General Store.