The Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation invites members and local business professionals to the August Business Spotlight Networking Event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Packer mansions, located at 19 Packer Hill Road in Jim Thorpe.

After the tours, members will have an opportunity to stroll in Kemmerer park, a beautifully landscaped public space containing walking paths, Victorian structures and recreational equipment.The Asa Packer Mansion was the home of philanthropist railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh University Asa Packer. Built in 1861 by Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan, the home was constructed over a span of two years and cost a total of $14,000. Topped by a red-ribbed tin roof and a central cupola, or belvedere, the home was built over a cast iron frame and consists of three stories, 18 rooms and approximately 11,000 square feet of living space. It is now open for guided tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.The Harry Packer Mansion Inn is located in the little Victorian village of Jim Thorpe. Perched atop Packer Hill, just steps from historic downtown, the Harry Packer Mansion sits like a sentinel overlooking the village. The mansion's impressive facade could have been taken from a Gothic novel, so much so that the building's design caught the eye of Disney Imagineers and it became the inspiration for Walt Disney World's "Haunted Mansion." The mansion features murder mystery weekends, luxurious lodging and Libations Lounge.A $5 donation will be collected at the door to benefit local nonprofits; The Dimmick Library and Turn To Us. To register, the CCEDC office at 610-379-5000 or at

info@carboncountychamber.org.