Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Borough
Borough of Honesdale

Image of a red-brick courthouse in autumn.

The Wayne County Courthouse in Honesdale.
Nickname(s): Dyberry Forks[1]
Motto: "A great place to visit. A better place to live!"[2]

Location in Wayne County and the state of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's location in the United States.
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
US Congressional District PA-10
State Senatorial District 20
State House of Representatives District 139
County Wayne
School District Wayne Highlands
Region II
Settled 1826[3]
Incorporated January 28, 1831[2]
Named for Philip Hone[2]
Government
  Type Weak mayor-council
  Mayor Melody Robinson
  Borough Council[4][5]
  US Representative Tom Marino (R)
  State Senator Lisa Baker (R)
  State Representative Michael Peifer (R)
Area
  Total 4.022 sq mi (10.42 km2)
  Land 3.881[6] sq mi (10.05 km2)
  Water 0.141[6] sq mi (0.365 km2)
Elevation 981[7] ft (299 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 4,480[8]
  Density 1,114/sq mi (429.9/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) Eastern Daylight (EDT) (UTC-4)
ZIP code 18431[9]
Area code(s) 570 (Exchanges: 251, 253, 352)
GNIS feature IDs 1192628[7] (Place)
1192628[10] (Borough)
FIPS code 42-35520[11]
Major Roads
Waterways Bunnells Pond,[12] Carley Brook,[13] Dyberry Creek, Lackawaxen River
Website Honesdale Borough

Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania.[14] The borough's population was 4,480 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.[8]

Honesdale is located 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Scranton in a rural area that provides many recreational opportunities, such as boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing, biking, skateboarding, and rafting. Located in a coal mining region, during the nineteenth 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 In the 19th century the expansion of railroads eventually superseded regular use of the canal.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 was named for Philip Hone, former Mayor of New York and president of Honesdale's Delaware and Hudson (D & H) Canal Company. Honesdale, originally called "Dyberry Forks," was laid out as a village in 1826 when the D & H Canal was created.[1] It was incorporated as a borough on January 28, 1831.[2]

The Honesdale Residential Historic District and the D & H Canal are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[15]

Birthplace of American railroading

Honesdale is home to the first commercial steam locomotive 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 returned; Honesdale, therefore, is known as the birthplace of the American Railroad.

The Stourbridge Lion, owned by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company (D&H) was regrettably considered too heavy for further use. D&H transported anthracite coal from mines near Carbondale to New York City via Honesdale and Kingston, New York. Coal was moved by a unique gravity-railroad from the mines to Honesdale where it was transferred to barges and transported via a 108-mile canal to Kingston, New York, then shipped by river barges down the Hudson River to New York City.

The Wayne County Historical Society Museum contains a full-scale replica of the Stourbridge Lion; the Society also displays many historical photographs, artifacts and other exhibits. The museum is on Main Street and was once the D&H Canal Co. office. It is a beautiful brick structure. The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce has been hosting Rail Excursions and Historical Tours, starting on track behind the museum, 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 Coordinates: 41°34′27″N 75°15′21″W / 41.57417°N 75.25583°W / 41.57417; -75.25583 (41.574214, -75.255966).[16]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10 km2), of which, 3.9 square miles (10 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (2.5%) is water of the Lackawaxen River, through the heart of the town, and its confluence with Dyberry Creek. The waters contain fish and other aquatic life and attract hundreds of ducks, as well as eagles and other raptors.

800 Block of Main Street Honesdale

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830433
18401,086150.8%
18502,263108.4%
18602,54412.4%
18702,6544.3%
18802,620−1.3%
18902,8167.5%
19002,8641.7%
19102,9452.8%
19202,756−6.4%
19305,49099.2%
19405,6873.6%
19505,662−0.4%
19605,569−1.6%
19705,224−6.2%
19805,128−1.8%
19904,972−3.0%
20004,874−2.0%
20104,480−8.1%
Est. 20154,233[17]−5.5%
Sources:[18][19][20]

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,480 people, 2,086 households, and 1,147 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,148.7 people per square mile (443.5/km²). There were 2,357 housing units at an average density of 604.4 per square mile (236.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.8% White, 0.9% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.

There were 2,086 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 58.8% from 18 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years.

The median income for a household in the borough was $32,644, and the median income for a family was $42,088. Males had a median income of $33,553 versus $30,179 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,122. About 19.1% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.4% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Local business and media

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

The local radio stations are WDNH 95.3 FM and WPSN 104.3FM, 101.9FM and 1590am. In addition to local news, events, and weather, WPSN broadcasts the Honesdale Hornets High School football games every Friday night during football season.

The 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.

First Presbyterian Church

Places and activities

Notable people

In popular culture

Film

Television

References

  1. 1 2 Mathews, Alfred (1886). History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: R.T. Peck & Company. p. 489. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Welcome to Honesdale Borough". Honesdale Borough. Honesdale Borough. 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  3. "The Borough". HonesdalePA.net. HonesdalePA.net. 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. "Council Members". Honesdale Borough. Honesdale Borough. 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  5. Judith Poltanis (13 April 2015). Honesdale Borough Council --Approved Electronic Version Regular Meeting: April 13, 2015 (PDF) (Report). Honesdale Borough. p. 1. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. 1 2 2010 Census National Places Gazetteer Files for Pennsylvania (Report). U.S. Department of Commerce. 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Honesdale". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 "2010 Census Interactive Population Search". Census.gov. U.S. Department of Commerce. 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  9. "Look up a ZIP CodeTM". USPS.COM. USPS. 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  10. "Borough of Honesdale". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 30 August 1990. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000. "Census Demographic Profiles, Honesdale Borough" (PDF). CenStats Databases. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  12. "Bunnells Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  13. "Carley Brook". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  14. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  15. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  16. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  17. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  18. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  19. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  20. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  21. Archived January 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  22. 1 2 "Wayne County Historical Society". Waynehistorypa.org. 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  23. Honesdale Roots and Rhythm
  24. Brice, Nakeyva. "Psyography: Florence L. Goodenough". Psyography: Florence L. Goodenough. Retrieved 14 February 2016. Florence L. Goodenough was born on August 6th, 1886 in Honesdale, Pennsylvania
  25. Cohen, Shawn (June 4, 2012). "Lauren Spierer mystery: New accounts say she staggered away after night of heavy drinking, drug use". The Journal News.
  26. "Friends of Lauren Spierer Refect, Take Action". USA Today. November 10, 2011.

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