White Haven, situated at the head of the Lehigh Navigation and above the commencement of the coal formation, was described in 1844 as a place whose trade was confined to the running of lumber, with numerous sawmills nearby and immense quantities of board piles lining the riverbanks for miles above it. Josiah White became a fitting namesake for the town because his Lehigh Canal linked coal from the valleys to lucrative markets and transformed this logging settlement into a thriving community in Luzerne County. By the mid-19th century, White Haven had nearly 100 homes, stores, hotels, boarding houses, and fine restaurants, along with five doctors, two lawyers, and two milliners. Railroads later followed the canal, and in the early 20th century they carried tuberculosis patients to private and public sanatoriums that took advantage of White Haven's fresh air. Today the river remains the focus of the town, which serves as a popular access point for boating and fishing on the Lehigh, one of Pennsylvania's Wild and Scenic Rivers.