Rotary and the principles thereof were unknown in the Hazleton area at the close of World War I. It was not until late in the year 1920 that the idea of a Rotary Club for Hazleton started to germinate. It was nurtured in the minds of a very small group of men for several months. Discussions on the merits of a Club were many, as were conferences on the matter of selection of the original twenty-one men who would be invited to start the Club.The official birth date of the Rotary Club of Hazleton was set as March 1, 1921.

The Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania sponsored the formation of the Rotary Club of Hazleton No. 827.