Honesdale, Pennsylvania

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Coordinates: 41°34′27″N, 75°15′21″W

Borough of Honesdale
Borough
1890 panoramic map of Honesdale
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Wayne
Area	4.2 mi² (10.9 km²)
- land	4.1 mi² (10.6 km²)
- water	0.1 mi² (0.3 km²), 2.38%
Center
- coordinates	41°34′27″N, 75°15′21″W
- elevation	1,148 ft (349.9 m)
Population	4,874 (2000)
Density	1,182.9 /mi² (456.7 /km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code	570
Location of Honesdale in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States

Honesdale is the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania and is located 44 miles (71 km) northeast of Scranton.

Honesdale is located in an area known as "the lake region of the Poconos". The surrounding area provides many recreational opportunities including: boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing, biking, and rafting.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Birthplace of American Railroading 2 Geography 3 What it is like 4 Notable people 5 Demographics 5.1 Popular culture 6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Birthplace of American Railroading

Honesdale, PA, was named in honor of Philip Hone.

Honesdale is home of the first steam locomotive to run on rails in the United States, the Stourbridge Lion. Anthracite coal transported by rail from the mines in Carbondale was unloaded into boats and transported via the Delaware and Hudson Canal(D&H) to Kingston NY. From that point river boats carried the coal to the New York City market.

The small brick building on Main Street, which is currently undergoing an expansion project, houses the Wayne County Historical Society and was once the D&H Canal's company office. On August 8, 1829, the Delaware & Hudson operated the first commercial locomotive on rails in the western hemisphere. That locomotive left from this spot, ran three miles to Seelyville and returned. The Museum contains a full-scale replica and is home to many interesting photographs and artifacts.

The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce is home to the Stourbridge Line Rail Excursions and your first step onto the vintage train cars takes you back into history ~ you board at the site of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company's boat basin. In its early years, from this terminus, anthracite coal, which was brought to this canal by the D&H's Gravity Railroad, made its 108-mile journey from northeastern Pennsylvania to Kingston (Esophus) NY. Parts of the original Stourbridge Lion are on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Rail Excursions and Historical Tours are offered during the summer, fall and Christmas season. The move to elect Abraham Lincoln was begun in Honesdale during the spring of 1859. Four men, Horace Greeley, Senator Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania, Andrew G. Curtin, (later governor of PA) and Samuel Dimmick (later Attorney General of PA) met at that time and it has been said that the plans made by these four men in Honesdale resulted in the nomination of Lincoln by the Republican party.

During the beginning of August each year Honesdale hosts the Wayne County Fair. The Fair is always a popular event, spanning a full week and drawing thousands of visitors.

The children's magazine Highlights for Children has their Editorial Headquarters in Honesdale.

Honesdale High School(Wayne Highlands School District) is home to the Hornets.

[edit] Geography

Honesdale is located at 41°34′27″N, 75°15′21″W (41.574214, -75.255966)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²). 10.7 km² (4.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.20%) is water.

[edit] What it is like

Until recently, Honesdale remained a quiet little town with a sleepy Main Street and fireworks from the Cliff on the 4th of July. Over the last 5 years, it has seen a dramatic influx of people to the area. The town fathers are now deciding on a new traffic pattern for downtown, along with its Revitilization Project.

Taxes remain a big draw to newcomers, since they are lower than New York, which is directly to the east and north of Wayne County. Walmart and Home Depot are located across the road from the Route 6 Plaza. This strip mall was built at the site of a small airport that used to handle single engine private planes. It is the home to Kmart, Weis Supermarkets, a Movie Theater, as well as other chain stores and privately owned shops.

The local daily newspaper, the Wayne Independent, established in 1878, emphasizes local stories. The Weekly Almanac, also a medium for local news, was begun in 1990. The community has little if any industry beyond the remnants of a once thriving population of family owned dairy farms. The local hospital, Wayne Memorial Hospital just completed a multi-million dollar expansion project.

The community has many Victorian age structures and is dominated by tall church steeples and a memorial park near the courthouse. Irving Cliff, 300 feet high, overlooks the town and is above the confluence of the Lackawaxen River and Dyberry Creek. The cliff contains a 50 foot electric framework displaying a Christmas Star, visible for miles.

Tourists can ride antique railroad cars along a right-of-way that skirts sections of the 175-year-old Delaware & Hudson canal on the Stourbridge Line Rail Excursions.

[edit] Notable people

• Richard B. Smith, who co-wrote the song "Winter Wonderland" in 1934, was born in Honesdale.
• Mary Dimmick Harrison, wife of President Benjamin Harrison, was born in Honesdale.
• Lyman Louis Lemnitzer, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was born and lived in Honesdale
• Benjamin Krempasky, oldest living citizen of Honesdale, who has been the Grand Marshall at the Von Steuben Day festival in Honesdale since 1962
• Art Wall, 1959 Masters Golf Champion was born and lived in Honesdale.
• Edgar Jadwin, former Chief of Army Corp of Engineers, was born in Honesdale.
• Ruth McGinnis, a member of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame, was a Honesdale resident.
• David M. Peterson, a flying ace of World War I, was born in Honesdale.
• Homer Greene, author and poet, was born and lived in Honesdale.
• Christy Mathewson, Hall of Fame pitcher, played semi-pro for Honesdale for two seasons in 1898 and 1899 before entering professional ball with the New York Giants. He was one of first five players entered into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

[edit] Demographics

In 1900, 2,864 people lived in Honesdale; in 1910, 2,945 people made it their home; and in 1940, 5,687 lived there. As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 4,874 people, 2,166 households, and 1,251 families residing in the borough. The population density was 456.8/km² (1,182.9/mi²). There were 2,414 housing units at an average density of 226.2/km² (585.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.64% White, 0.66% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.89% of the population.

There were 2,166 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $28,209, and the median income for a family was $41,336. Males had a median income of $30,153 versus $22,361 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,464. About 9.8% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Popular culture

• The movie Wet Hot American Summer was filmed in Honesdale during 2001.The film is a comedy starring Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, and Molly Shannon. It was directed by David Wain and written by Michael Showalter (who also stars in the movie).
• Honesdale also homes multiple Sleepaway Camps i.e. Camp Moshava, TVI and Camp Cayuga

[edit] External links

• Official Wayne County Website
• Wayne County Chamber of Commerce and the Stourbridge Line Rail Excursions
• Historic Honesdale
• Honesdale Highlights
• Camp Moshava
• The Wayne County Historical Society & Museum
• Wayne County Fair
• Wet Hot American Summer
• Highlights for Children
• Himalayan Institute World Headquarters