Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Borough of Honesdale
Borough
The Wayne County courthouse
Motto: "Enjoy the Honesdale Experience"
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Wayne
Elevation	1,148 ft (349.9 m)
Coordinates	41°34′27″N 75°15′21″W
Area	4.2 sq mi (10.9 km2)
- land	4.1 sq mi (11 km2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 2.38%
Population	4,874 (2000)
Density	1,182.9 / sq mi (456.7 / km2)
Founded	1826
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	18431
Area code	570 Exchanges: 251, 253
Location of Honesdale in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States

Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Scranton. The population was 4,874 at the 2000 census.

Honesdale is located in a rural area that provides many recreational opportunities including: boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing, biking, skateboarding, and rafting. Located in a coal mining region, during the 19th century it was the starting point of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, which provided for transport of coal to Kingston, New York and then down the Hudson River to New York City. In the 19th century the expansion of railroads eventually superseded regular use of the canal.

History

1890 panoramic map of Honesdale

Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was named in honor of Philip Hone, who was a former Mayor of New York and president of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. Honesdale, which was originally known as Dyberry Forks, was laid out in 1826 and incorporated in 1831.

Birthplace of American railroading

Further information: Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad

Honesdale is home of the first commercial steam locomotive to run on rails in the United States, the Stourbridge Lion. On August 8, 1829, the Stourbridge Lion started in Honesdale, ran three miles to Seelyville, and then returned.

The Stourbridge Lion was owned by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company (D&H). D&H transported anthracite coal from mines near Carbondale to the New York City market, via Honesdale and Kingston, New York. Coal was moved by rail from the mines to Honesdale, where it was transferred to barges and transported via a 108-mile canal to Kingston, from where it was shipped by river barges down the Hudson River to New York City. Before steam locomotives were used, D&H moved the coal from the mines to Honesdale via a gravity railroad.

The Wayne County Historical Society Museum contains a full-scale replica of the Stourbridge Lion, and displays many interesting photographs and artifacts. This museum is in a brick building on Main Street, once the D&H Canal's company office. Honesdale is where the Stourbridge Lion began its inaugural run. The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce hosts Rail Excursions and Historical Tours during spring, summer, fall, and Christmas seasons.

Parts of the original Stourbridge Lion are on display at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Geography

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

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (11 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (1.20%) is water.

Demographics

In 1900, 2,864 people lived in Honesdale; in 1911, 2,945 people made it their home; and in 1940, 5,687 lived there. As of the census of 2000, there were 4,874 people, 2,166 households, and 1,251 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,182.9 people per square mile (456.8/km²). There were 2,414 housing units at an average density of 585.8 per square mile (226.2/km²). 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, 41% 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 65.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $28,201, and the median income for a family was $40,336. Males had a median income of $30,103 versus $22,061 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,404. 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.

Local business and media

The local daily newspaper, The Wayne Independent, was established in 1878, and emphasizes local stories. The Wayne Independent publishes issues Tuesday through Saturday.

The local radio station is WDNH broadcast on 95.3FM. In addition to local news, events, and weather, it broadcasts the Honesdale Hornets High School football games every Friday night during football season.

The local hospital serving Honesdale and the surrounding communities is Wayne Memorial Hospital. It is a successful and progressive nonprofit community hospital of 114 beds and does approximately 75 million dollars of net revenue of business annually. The Hospital offers a wide array of advanced health services and is clinically affiliated with the Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers and The Commonwealth Medical College.

Places and activities

• Honesdale hosts the annual Wayne County Fair, starting on the first Friday in August. The Fair spans nine days and draws thousands of visitors. It features typical country fair events like horse racing, tractor pulling and livestock exhibits.

• The children's magazine Highlights for Children was founded in Honesdale. It maintains its editorial headquarters in Honesdale despite having relocated most of the operations to Ohio.

• Honesdale High School is part of the Wayne Highlands School District. The school's sports team is the Hornets. The school is located on the top of Terrace Street and overlooks the town of Honesdale.

• Honesdale was home to the Roman Catholic St. Vincent's Elementary School, located on Cliff Street. The school closed at the end of the 2008-2009 school year after declining enrollment.

• Honesdale has many Victorian age structures, and is dominated by tall church steeples and a memorial park near the courthouse. Current zoning laws do not require building remodelling to remain historically accurate.

• Irving Cliff, 300 feet high, overlooks the town, and offers a compelling view of the confluence of the Lackawaxen River and Dyberry Creek. Irving Cliff is named after author Washington Irving, who was greatly impressed with its view. The cliff contains a 50 foot electric framework, for a Christmas Star and Easter cross, that is visible for miles during holiday nights. Fireworks are shot from the cliff for July 4 festivities.

• The Honesdale Roots and Rhythm Music and Arts Festival is held throughout Honesdale on the third Saturday in June. The main stage is set up along Court Street playing to festival goers in Central Park. Artists and food vendors are lined along the park on 9th and 10th Streets. Several other stages are set up throughout the town offering music all day. The festival was established in 2006.

• Many summer camps are located in and around Honesdale, including Bryn Mawr Camp, Camp Cayuga, Indian Head Camp, Camp Lavi, Camp Morasha, Camp Moshava, Camp Nesher, Camp Ramah in the Poconos, Camp Raninu, Camp Seneca Lake, Summit Camp, Camp Towanda, Trail's End Camp, Tyler Hill Camp, Camp Watonka and Camp Wayne. Many campers travel from the New York Metropolitan Area, New England, Philadelphia and further afield to attend camps in the area.

Notable people

• Richard C. Smith, who co-wrote the song "Winter Wonderland" in 1934
• Mary Dimmick Harrison, second wife of President Benjamin Harrison
• Lyman Louis Lemnitzer, General, United States Army and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Art Wall, 1959 Masters Golf champion
• Edgar Jadwin, former Chief of Engineers, United States Army Corps of Engineers
• David M. Peterson, a flying ace of World War I
• Christy Mathewson, Hall of Fame pitcher
• John Olver, current member of the United States House of Representatives representing Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
• Florence Goodenough, born 1886, psychology pioneer in area of intelligence
• Jacob Clayton , born 1929, biochemist who worked closely with John E. Amoore developing the stereochemical theory for olfaction
• Brian Balthazar, (born Brian Balthaser) TV Personality

In popular culture

• The movie Wet Hot American Summer was filmed at Camp Towanda near Honesdale during the spring of 2000. The film is a comedy starring Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, and Molly Shannon. It was directed by David Wain and written by Wain and Michael Showalter (who also stars in the movie).
• Schrute Farms, the Bed and Breakfast beet farm belonging to Dwight Schrute on NBC's popular sitcom The Office is listed as a Honesdale establishment on TripAdvisor.com.
• Honesdale is mentioned in the opening scene of the movie "The Ten" starring Paul Rudd of Wet Hot American Summer.
• The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film which stars Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson. Geena plays a Honesdale schoolteacher/wife/mother who suffers from amnesia, and who eventually learns that she was a trained assassin before losing her memory. Although Honesdale is mentioned in the film, the film was not actually shot in Honesdale.
• Although the movie Playing for Keeps was filmed mainly in nearby Bethany, Pennsylvania, scenes were filmed at the old Miracle Market on 6th Street in Honesdale. Additional scenes were filmed in nearby Hawley, Pennsylvania and a field along Pennsylvania State Route 191 near Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania. The movie was released on October 3, 1986 and starred Daniel Jordano, Matthew Penn, Leon W. Grant, Mary B. Ward and Marisa Tomei.
• Blue Valentine, a movie starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, started filming in Honesdale and the surrounding areas in the spring of 2009. The movie is currently scheduled for a limited release in the United States on December 31, 2010.

External links

• Official Wayne County Website
• Honesdale Highlights
• The Wayne County Historical Society & Museum
• Wayne County Fair