Museum Information
2007
Local History Articles | 2008 | 2006

Kmart Founder’s Life Begins, Ends Here

December/2007/ Filed in: Business | Kresgeville | S.S. Kresge
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Sebastian Spering Kresge was raised on the family farm in Kresgeville, named for Kresge’s ancestors, and had a strong Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing consisting of a belief in hard work, thrift, and religion. By the age of 10, Kresge had already developed a strong sense of business. He started with a handful of such small stores called Kresge’s Five and Dime, and through profitable business practices, he went on to form the well-known retail company, K-Mart.  Read More...

Converted Quaker Builds Faith in 1800s

November/2007/ Filed in: Religion | The Strouds | Stroudsburg | Quakers
The Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, played an influential role in Monroe County’s history. The Quaker presence in Monroe County had its beginnings in Stroudsburg in the early 1800s. Read More...

A. Mitchell Palmer: Red Scare Infamy

October/2007/ Filed in: Stroudsburg | Politics | A. Mitchell Palmer
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A. Mitchell Palmer of Stroudsburg played a role in local, state and national politics that will not be forgotten by history. He was a lawyer, a Congressman, a newspaper owner, and considered as a Democratic presidential candidate. The height of his fame – and infamy — came in his role as U.S. attorney general under President Woodrow Wilson. Read More...

Tanning Hides Once Big Business

September/2007/ Filed in: Business | The Strouds
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The tanning industry has been a part of Monroe County’s history since the early 1800s, thanks to the rich supply of both hemlock and oak trees. Monroe County residents would often take their animal skins to local tanners to be turned into workable leather ready for market. Read More...

History of Local Temperance Movement

August/2007/ Filed in: Politics | Monroe County | The Strouds | Stroudsburg High School
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As early as the 1830s, Monroe County citizens became concerned with the effects of alcohol on the community. Public drunkenness and disorderly conduct were becoming more prominent. Read More...

MCHA uses trunks to teach local history

August/2007/ Filed in: MCHA | Education
The Monroe County Historical Association has seen visits from schools to its home on Main Street in Stroudsburg slip in recent years, so it is looking to turn the tables. The association secured $3,000 in grant funds from Target to create 19 traveling trunks, which are designed for fourth- through eighth-grade classrooms. Read More...

The Liberty Bell Stops In East Stroudsburg

July/2007/ Filed in: East Stroudsburg | Politics | Revolutionary War
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Following its display at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Expo in San Francisco, the Liberty Bell traveled by rail across the nation, and on Thanksgiving Day, it made a brief stop at the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad station in East Stroudsburg. Read More...

Gilbert Polytechnic School in Polk Township

June/2007/ Filed in: Education | Gilbert | Polk Township
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From the many one-room school houses active during the earlier years of Monroe County to the colleges and universities of today, the citizens of Monroe County have always had a high regard for education. One such continuing-education school that was important during the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the Gilbert Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1886 by Reverend Frank W. Smith. Read More...

Daylight Saving Time Affected Monroe County

April/2007/ Filed in: Monroe County
Daylight Saving Time and its enactment in Monroe County have an interesting history. In 1929, Pennsylvania decided that each county would determine if it would participate in Daylight Saving or not. Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg could not agree. Read More...

John Summerfield Staples and Abraham Lincoln

March/2007/ Filed in: Stroudsburg | Civil War | Military | John Staples
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The Civil War affected the citizens of Monroe County as it did the nation. Men left their homes, families, and jobs to serve in the Union Army. Joining his fellow citizens, John Summerfield Staples of Stroudsburg fought in the Civil War – and became a celebrity as the official replacement recruit representing President Abraham Lincoln. Read More...

How Monroe County Got Its Name

February/2007/ Filed in: Monroe County
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On April 1, 1836, after nine long years of debate and discussion, Monroe County was formed from pieces of land cut from northern Northampton County and southern Pike County. Read More...

Ice Becomes an Industry in Poconos

January/2007/ Filed in: Business
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One hundred years ago, Monroe County was a leader in northeastern Pennsylvania’s ice production and distribution business. The ice was initially harvested from our lakes for use locally by both residents and resorts catering to tourists. Read More...