Established circa 1830, this village was served by the Honesdale branch of the U.S. Post Office during the 1850s and 1860s.[15][16][17][18] The village was still largely a rural one during this time.[19]
A new tannery was established at Tanners Falls by Lewis B. Richtmyer during the early 1850s. Finishing its first hides in 1853, the operation quickly expanded its capacity to fifty-two thousand hides annually, using a manufacturing system of more than one hundred and seventy vats.[20] Richtmyer's older brother, Henry Richtmyer, subsequently became the village's first Postmaster when its new post office opened in 1856.[21]
During the 1860s, one of Wayne County's chief industries was the manufacture of shoe leather. As a result, the county was home to several tanneries and shoe and bootmakers.[22] Thomas Conroy, an emigrant from Ireland, operated a shoemaking and boot repair business in Tanners Falls during the 1860s and 1870s.[23][24]
The tannery, which had been operating in the village during the early 1860s, was purchased in 1863 by Coe F. Young, a native of New York who had previously been associated with various canal and railway operations.[25][26]
The Hilltop church was built by members of the Catholic church in 1865 "to accommodate the faithful at Tanners Falls."[27]
In May 1870, Wayne County officials initiated the process to begin rebuilding the bridge at Tanners Falls.[28]
In September 1876, Tanners Falls was one of multiple communities facing disaster as wildfires swept across northwestern Pennsylvania.[29]
Lumber industry and tannery operations were active in Tanners Falls during the 1870s and 1880s.[30][31][32][33] The tannery owned by Coe F. Young ceased operations during the spring of 1887 because the area's tree bark supply had been exhausted.[34]
Mary W. Alberty was appointed Postmaster of Tanners Falls in January 1889.[35] Repairs were made to the Tanners Falls bridge in late 1889 with lumber supplied by Coe F. Young and labor performed by C. P. Bunnell at respective costs to Wayne County of $33.79 and $10.00.[36]
Oil and coal prospecting ventures were also tried by Coe F. Young and others beginning in the 1880s; they continued off and on into the early 1900s.[37]
In 1891, Joseph Taylor entered into a partnership with John Reifler & Sons in creating and managing a large acid works factory in Tanners Falls.[38][39] Reifler, an emigrant from Gomeringen, Germany, had previously been involved in the tanning industry.[40]
New stone arch and lumber work were completed on the Tanners Fall bridge in 1893 by John Reifler, J. Schilling, and Riefler & Sons at respective costs to Wayne County of $395, $6, and $344.47.[41]
Telephone service became available for the first time in Tanners Falls in the summer of 1896.[42]
Additional stone arch work was completed again at the Tanners Fall bridge in 1898 by John D. Irwin at a cost to Wayne County of $738.62.[43]
1900s
On April 27, 1900, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued a new operating charter to the Spring Brook Creamery in Tanners Falls.[44] In December 1900, the Pennsylvania Bridge Company was awarded an $800 contract by Wayne County to build the middle span of the county's iron bridge at Tanners Falls.[45]
In May 1911, the Reifler Acid Company's Tanners Falls complex was destroyed during an early morning fire.[46] By mid-October, work was nearly completed on the construction of a new wood alcohol manufacturing facility.[47]
By the 1920s, the acid company had become such an integral part of Tanners Falls that it owned the majority of the village's buildings, including many of the houses that were then rented out to employees of the company and the providers of various shops and other community services who had been brought it to provide conveniences for those employees.[48]
That situation changed, however, when the acid company was permanently closed on April 8, 1931. After its owners made their last shipment and terminated their workforce, the plant was auctioned off during a receiver's sale on May 5 of that year, along with eight thousand two hundred and fifty acres of forest land and thirty-five of the village's houses that the company had owned.[49] The company had been placed into receivership due to an unpaid bill from 1928 of $4,000 that had accrued additional interest charges, as well as the company's indebtedness of $150,000 for its first mortgage, $160,000 owed by the company on two Series A and Series B debenture bonds, and additional unpaid debts of $75,000 and $25,000.[50][51]
As concern regarding the negative impact the plant's closure would have on Wayne County and the surrounding region, civic and business leaders investigated possible ways to mitigate the sale's damage and decided upon a plan that would enable the Pennsylvania State Game Commission to purchase seven thousand acres of the land, four thousand of which had been part of the acid factory's plant complex and three thousand that were "situated several miles northeast of the Riefler estate." Contained within the property boundaries were two lakes "regarded as a paradise by anglers," that were known for their stocks of smallmouth bass, pickerel and panfish. The lands were later opened to the general public as a preserve for fishing and other recreational activities.[52][53] The process was finalized on June 7, 1939 as "State game lands No. 159," becoming "one of the single largest tracts of game land purchased for the sportsmen" of the state. Much of the land included in the preserve was heavily wooded and home to deer, rabbits and ruffed grouse, Pennsylvania's state bird, as well as roughly twelve miles of "ideal trout streams," ponds and a marsh. The purchase of the land was funded by the diversion of seventy-five cents of every annual hunting license sold.[54][55]
The village, which had gradually withered and died after the acid factory's demise, became a ghost town by the early 1940s. In an effort to save the town, Robert C. Perkins of Honesdale purchased the entire village from the Tanners Falls Development Company in 1941.[56][57] Seven years later, Perkins auctioned off the village, which was described by newspapers that year as a hamlet, in a sale that included a "factory, store, houses and stable."[58][59][60] Notices of the pending sale were placed in newspapers across the United States and as far away as Canada.[61][62][63][64][65]
In 1952, Edwin Patrick Kilroe, a native of Tanners Falls, donated his family's former homestead and land to the Society of Priests of the Sacred Heart for the priests' use in establishing a seminary there.[66] The Kilroe Seminary of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart was dedicated on June 18, 1955 as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton.[67][68]
Tanners Falls is centered on the intersection of Upper Woods Road (Pennsylvania Route 4007, or PA-4007) and Tanners Falls Road (part of PA-4017). Six more state routes also run through the village: Hancock Highway (part of PA-191); Bethany Turnpike (part of PA-670); Beech Grove Road (PA-4005); Niles Pond Road (PA-4019), which connects to Hancock; Egypt Drive; and Egypt Road. The last two are part of the aforementioned PA-4017; the latter connects to Tanners Falls and the former connects to the former. All of these roads are paved.
There also eight township roads in Tanners Falls. Six of them are entirely within the village: Lupyak Road (Township Road 451, or T451); Bryant Road (T461), which connects to Upper Woods; Pleasant Valley Road (T463); Alden Road (T544), which connects to both Beech Grove and Lupyak; Haines School Road (T546), which connects to Bethany and Beech Grove; and Kilroe Road (T554), which connects to just Bethany. The other two have sections in other villages: Town Hill Road (T437), which connects to Beech Grove, and Rosehill Road (T467), which connects to Niles Pond. Like many township roads in the state, Lupyak, Bryant, Pleasant Valley, Alden, Haines School, Kilroe, Town Hill, and Rosehill are all unpaved.
Finally, there are fourteen officially-named (i.e., their names may be used in addresses) private roads in the community, thirteen of which fall entirely within its boundaries: Breidenstein Park, which connects to Beech Grove; Cabin Corner, which connects to Haines School; Dyberry Drive, which connects to Bethany; Fairview Drive, which connects to Dyberry; Hidden Lane; Lakeview Drive, which connects to Alden and Hidden; Laurel Drive; Meadow Drive, which connects to Dyberry; Ponderosa Drive, which connects to Alden and Laurel; Skidmore Road, which connects to Bethany; Tighe Lane, which connects to Haines School; Vasko Drive, which connects to Laurel and Ponderosa; and Yellow Brick Road, which connects to Lakeview. The last one, Alden Lake Road, contains sections in other villages, and connects to just Alden. All of these are unpaved.
Related Research Articles
Wayne is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The county's population was 51,155 at the 2020 census. The county seat is the Borough of Honesdale. The county was formed from part of Northampton County on March 21, 1798, and was named for the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.
Dyberry is a second-class township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township's population was 1,401 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.
Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census.
Starrucca is a borough that is located in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 173 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.
Orson is a village in Preston Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States, situated in the Lake Region of the Poconos. It was once an important depot of the Scranton Division of the New York, Ontario & Western (O&W) Railway, but today, when it is known outside of its immediate vicinity, it is largely for being the site of the intersection of two state roads, Belmont Turnpike and Crosstown Highway, or as the location of Independent Lake Camp (ILC), since ILC's reputation and commercial reach, like those of most rural American summer camps, extend beyond the community in which the camp is physically located.
The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area.
The Stourbridge Line is a shortline railroad that operates 25 miles (40 km) of former Erie Lackawanna Railroad trackage between Honesdale and Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, where it connects with Norfolk Southern Railway. The line was previously owned by the Lackawaxen-Honesdale Shippers Association and operated under contract by Robey Railroads. The operation was contracted to the Morristown & Erie Railway in January, 2009; service ended in 2011. Service was resumed by the Delaware, Lackawaxen & Stourbridge Railroad (DL&S) on May 9, 2015.
Area codes 570 and 272 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes the cities or towns of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, Pittston, Carbondale, Hazleton, Clarks Summit, Towanda, Bloomsburg, Sayre, Tunkhannock, Berwick, Milford, Montrose, Honesdale, Pocono Pines, Nanticoke, Tamaqua, Shavertown, Dallas, Mahanoy City, Sunbury, Jim Thorpe, and extends as far south as Pottsville and as far west as Lock Haven. Area code 570 was created in 1998 in an split of area code 717, one of the original North American area codes. In 2013, the numbering plan area received a second area code, 272, creating an overlay plan, which required ten-digit dialing for the area.
Prompton State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 2,000 acres (809 ha) in Clinton and Dyberry Townships, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. This park, which was established in 1962, is officially listed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as being undeveloped. This means that it is officially a state park but the PA-DCNR is not currently managing the park. However, the lands of the park are open to visitors. Friends of Prompton State Park, a grassroots organization is working to take over management of the park in much the same way that Salt Springs State Park in Susquehanna County is managed by The Friends of Salt Springs Park. Northeast Sports Ltd. of Honesdale sponsors several outdoor sports events that are held at the park. Prompton State Park is 4.2 miles (6.8 km) west of Honesdale on Pennsylvania Route 170.
Pennsylvania Route 670 (PA 670) is a 21.26-mile-long (34.21 km) state highway located in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 191 in Honesdale. The northern terminus is at PA 370 in Preston Township. The route is a two-lane undivided road that runs through rural areas in the northern part of Wayne County. PA 670 heads northwest from PA 191 and passes through Bethany. Farther northwest, the route crosses PA 247 and intersects the northern terminus of PA 170 before turning west to run concurrent with PA 371 in Pleasant Mount. PA 670 turns north from PA 371 and continues to its end at PA 370 in Orson.
West Branch Dyberry Creek is a tributary of Dyberry Creek in Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The most famous or recognizable feature of the creek is Tanners Falls, a large and swift moving waterfall.
Poyntelle is a village that is located in Preston Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lake Region of the Poconos.
Carmel Sirianni was an American politician who was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1974.
Jennie Augusta Brownscombe was an American painter, designer, etcher, commercial artist, and illustrator. Brownscombe studied art for years in the United States and in Paris. She was a founding member, student and teacher at the Art Students League of New York. She made genre paintings, including revolutionary and colonial American history, most notably The First Thanksgiving held at Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts. She sold the reproduction rights to more than 100 paintings, and images of her work have appeared on prints, calendars and greeting cards. Her works are in many public collections and museums. In 1899 she was described by New York World as "one of America's best artists."
Lakewood is a village that is located in Preston Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated on Pennsylvania Route 370 (PA-370), approximately 7 miles (11 km) east of Thompson, Pennsylvania and about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Hancock, New York.
Susan E. Dickinson was an American journalist and the older sister of lecturer Anna Elizabeth Dickinson.
Glen Dyberry Cemetery is located in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
The Honesdale National Bank is a bank headquartered in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Established on December 26, 1836, the bank holds the distinction of being the area’s oldest, independent, community bank. It has twelve full-service offices across Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. Financial and trust services for customers are also serviced through the HNB Financial Group headquartered in Honesdale, and the HNB Mortgage Center headquartered in Wilkes-Barre. The bank offers customer service through personal banking, business banking and wealth management and also serves the greater local communities. Honat Bancorp, Inc. is the bank's parent company and the sole owner.
Ruth McGinnis was a Straight pool player from the United States, who is considered one of the greatest female pool players of all time.
Howard Daniel Becker was an American painter and watercolorist. He served in World War II in 6th Port Headquarters as documentary artist, assigned by Col. R. Hunter Clarkson, painting and sketching the history of the occupation and reconstruction of the Port of Marseille. His watercolor painting "Assembly Plant", Cazes, Morocco, 1946, appears in "Soldiers Serving the Nation," a book of the works of artists in the field during World War II, drawn from The US Army Art Collection edited by General Gordon R. Sullivan, U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Several of Becker's pieces were retained by the Historical Properties Section in Washington, D.C..
References
1 2 3 Goodrich, Phineas G. (1992) [1880]. History of Wayne County. Baltimore: Gateway Press, Inc. p.301.
↑ "Salute to Dyberry Township". Wayne County Historical Society. Wayne County Historical Society. 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
↑ "District Magistrate". Wayne County, PA. Wayne County Courthouse. 2014. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
↑ "Honesdale Post - Office." Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Herald, March 17, 1859, p. 3 (subscription required).
↑ "The United States Mail." Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Herald, November 28, 1867, p. 3 (subscription required).
↑ "United States Mails." Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: The Luzerne Union, February 29, 1860, p. 4 (subscription required).
↑ "Strayed or Stolen." Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Herald, July 11, 1867, p. 3 (subscription required).
↑ "Lewis B. Richtmyer" (death notice), in "Hereabouts and Thereabouts." Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Herald, August 30, 1900, p. 3 (subscription required).
↑ "Lewis B. Richtmyer" (death notice), in "Hereabouts and Thereabouts," The Herald, August 30, 1900.
↑ "Tanners Falls," in "State Brevities." Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania: Tunkhannock Republican, September 18, 1885, p. 2 (subscription required).
↑ "Refusing a Fortune." Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: The Times Leader, November 6, 1878, front page (subscription required).
↑ "Obituary: Coe F. Young." Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Herald, March 28, 1889, p. 3 (subscription required).
↑ "The tannery at Tanner's Falls," in "Neighboring Counties." Carbondale, Pennsylvania: The Carbondale Leader, September 28, 1886, p. 2 (subscription required).
↑ "Personal and Pertinent." Scranton, Pennsylvania: The Scranton Times, August 10, 1939, p. 6 (subscription required).
↑ "Notice to Bridge Builders." Honesdale, Pennsylvania: The Herald, May 19, 1870, front page (subscription required).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
