A. Mitchell Palmer: Controversial national figure
January 01 , 2012
Turning left after entering the front door of the Stroud Mansion brings you into the Erdman Room, where hangs a 4’x6’ oil painting of Alexander Mitchell Palmer. It had been in the Smithsonian Institution before being donated to MCHA by his daughter, Mary Palmer Lichtenberg, and grandson, Mitchell Palmer Lichtenberg, in 1982. Read More...
Famous graves in Monroe County
April 04 , 2011
Here are the final resting places of some of Monroe County’s most interesting and historical personages. Read More...
Monroe County's off-the-beaten-path gems
April 04 , 2011
If you think all you need to know about history you learned in junior high, think again. Monroe County has some history that is not only worth reading about but visiting, too. Here are some off-the-beaten-path places to visit. Read More...
Celebrating Cullen Yates: Fundraiser paints picture of Poconos artist
November 11 , 2010
Large undertakings often have humble beginnings, and the impetus for the upcoming art show and auction at Shawnee Inn, "Cullen Yates: 99 Years at Shawnee Inn," is just such a case. It all began because folks at Monroe County Historical Association decided the upstairs of Stroud Mansion — its headquarters — needed a new coat of paint, and this has morphed into a celebration of the most lauded painter in northeastern Pennsylvania, with perhaps the largest collection of Yates paintings assembled since the artist's death in 1945. Read More...
Graves photographs Delaware Water Gap
August 08 , 2010
Delaware Water Gap, both as a town and a natural geological landmark, has been featured as the subject of numerous pieces of artwork, stories, poems, and photographs. For years, visitors have been drawn to this small mountain community. Jesse A. Graves was no different. Read More...
Pennsylvania’s infamous ‘Walking Purchase’
July 07 , 2010
In 1681, King Charles II of England granted William Penn a charter to establish a colony in the New World. The king owed William Penn’s father ₤16,000 and to repay his debt, King Charles II granted the young Penn 45,000 square miles of land to establish a colony in “regard to the memorie and merits of his late father” on March 4, 1681. Read More...
Monroe County’s first world record
April 04 , 2010
On Easter Sunday in 1898, a special edition of the Stroudsburg Daily Times was printed, and in the process, a world record was broken. Only hours before, the paper used for the newspaper had been a living tree. It was all done to commemorate the Stroudsburg Daily Times’ fourth anniversary. Read More...
The Legend of Lover’s Leap
February 02 , 2010
An old tale from Monroe County’s history recounts the legend of a love between and Indian princess and an early Dutch settler. The story, which may or may not be true, was first recorded in Luke W. Brodhead’s 1870 book, The Delaware Water Gap, Its Legends and Early History. As the story goes, Princess Winona was the beloved and only daughter of Chief Wissinoming, the noble leader of the Minisink. While the chief ruled all of the land along the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers to the Atlantic Ocean, the headquarters of the tribe was located near Shawnee Island and present-day Smithfield Township, Monroe County. Read More...
Barrett Township celebrates its Sesquicentennial
December 12 , 2009
Barrett Township will celebrate its 150th birthday at the end of this month. This northern Monroe County township was officially created from parts of Price and Paradise Townships on December 31, 1859, although the area had been settled much earlier. Read More...
Dansbury Mission spreads Moravian ideals to East Stroudsburg
September 09 , 2009
The area now known as East Stroudsburg has a rich and early history. East Stroudsburg was settled by the Brodhead family in 1737, while Stroudsburg was not settled until Jacob Stroud purchased his first piece of land in 1769. Read More...
Swiftwater laboratory starts with Col. Slee
April 04 , 2009
In 1897, Richard Slee established Pocono Biological Laboratories in Swiftwater — his first client was the U.S. Army. Slee’s lab was the first and only company in the United States to produce France’s improved smallpox vaccine. Only one year later, Slee provided all of the vaccines used in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Read More...
The early days of ‘Penn’s Woods’
March 03 , 2009
March 1st through the 8th marks the week-long celebration of Pennsylvania’s birth. In 1681, King Charles II of England granted William Penn a charter to establish a colony in the New World, and it seems appropriate now to take a short look at the man and his colony. Read More...
E.E. Norton: Humble Beginnings, Elegant End
October 10 , 2008
One of the most common inquiries we receive at the Monroe County Historical Association, especially in October, is “Who is buried in that large mausoleum in the Stroudsburg Cemetery?” The answer is Colonel Emery Ebenezer Norton and his wife, Jeanette Norton. Read More...
Joseph Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle
September 09 , 2008
Monroe County has been a destination for famous people for years. From presidents to actors, many have come to enjoy the relaxing environment offered in the Pocono Mountains. One such notable actor of the 19th century that came to Monroe County, specifically to Paradise Valley, was Joseph Jefferson. Read More...
The Smith Family of Stroudsburg
July 07 , 2008
In the archives of the Monroe County Historical Association are photographs of two African American sisters. One photograph is labeled “Laura B. Smith – 8 years old,” and the other is marked with “Florence V. Smith.” These two images have interested me for years, and through CASS’s inquiry for pictures, I was able to research who these two little girls were. Read More...
History of the Wedding Dress
June 06 , 2008
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Many modern-day brides follow this adage steeped in tradition. A bride will carry “something old” to remind her of her past and the importance of her family. “Something new” represents the life that lays ahead of the bride, and carrying “something borrowed” ensures the bride will be able to rely on friends in her marriage. Many brides also believe that wearing “something blue” will keep their husbands faithful to them. Read More...
W.R. Van Vliet's Canning Jars
April 04 , 2008
Monroe County has had its share of individuals who have worked to make life a little better, or easier, for everyone. Warren R. Van Vliet was one such individual. During his inventive career, Van Vliet engineered canning jars that were better able to preserve foods than the other canning jars of his day. Read More...
Brodhead Murder: Part II Trial & Punishment
February 02 , 2008
Last month’s article focused on the Delaware Water Gap tragedy in which one man, Theodore Brodhead, was killed and another man, his brother, Thomas Brodhead, was wounded by William Brooks and Charles Orme. After being caught in Cherry Valley a few hours following the murder, Brooks and Orme were escorted to the Stroudsburg jail to await trial. Read More...
Brodhead Murder: Part I The Crime
January 01 , 2008
On September 25, 1868, Monroe County citizens were shocked by a Delaware Water Gap tragedy in which one man, Theodore Brodhead, was killed and another man, his brother, Thomas Brodhead, was wounded. Read More...
Kmart Founder’s Life Begins, Ends Here
December 12 , 2007
During this time of year, many people search for the perfect gifts at multi-level shopping malls and the Internet. There was a time, however, when neither mega malls nor the Internet existed, and everyone shopped at small ìmom and popî stores in downtown districts. Sebastian Spering Kresge 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.
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A. Mitchell Palmer: Red Scare Infamy
October 10 , 2007
Alexander Mitchell Palmer was born May 4, 1872 in Moosehead, Luzerne County, Pa. The Palmer family was native to Monroe County, having descended from Obadiah Palmer, a Quaker and early settler who worked for the Stroud Family. Read More...
Stroudsburg’s ‘Sheep to Suit’ Record
February 02 , 2006
Mr. Thomas Kitson was born in England on June 7, 1840. From a young age, Kitson worked in a number of woolen mills where he gained the knowledge and skills of his trade. At 19, Kitson immigrated to America and was employed in a small mill in the Catskills of New York. Read More...
William Penn and Lenape Chief Tammany
November 11 , 2005
The Lenni Lenape were the first inhabitants of the Pocono Mountains area. Long before European settlers called Monroe County home, these Native Americans occupied the land. Indeed, the name Lenni Lenape translates into “the original peoples,” and the term Pocono in the native Lenape tongue means “a river between two mountains.” Because the Lenape did not have a written language, their history was passed from generation to generation by story tellers. The ancestors of the Lenape, the true “original peoples,” were said to have come from the great sea in the west thousands of years before Christopher Columbus. Read More...