Pike County

By Lori Strelecki

Formed in 1814, Pike County was originally comprised of the townships of Middle Smithfield, Delaware, Upper Smithfield, Lackawaxen, and Palmyra. As years passed, other townships were added and some of the names changed, and today Pike County consists of 13 townships and boroughs. Even before Pike County was formed, the stories of the people, land, and events wove an intricate tale. The early daredevils who rafted lumber to Trenton and Philadelphia, using the Delaware River as their byway, were a rough?and?tumble bunch. As time went on, these mavericks gave way to new ones and the stories of entrepreneurs, trendsetters, great men and women, and fascinating events were etched into the county's history. Using vintage photographs from the Pike County Historical Society's archives, Pike County chronicles the people and stories that make this area unique.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439637562

Lori Strelecki

Lori Strelecki has spent the last nine years working for the Pike County Historical Society. A New Jersey native and veteran of working for historical sites, she has acclimated to Pennsylvania�s Pike County quite adeptly through her job as museum director for the society�s Columns Museum.

Book preview

societies.

INTRODUCTION

When Pike County was established in 1814, it consisted of just five townships. Today’s Pike County is home to 13 boroughs and townships, each of which boasts their own beauty and identity. While each one of these townships and boroughs have played an interesting and intricate part in the county’s rich history, there have been several publications over the years that have detailed the events and places that make up the whole county. This publication is geared to highlight some of the most interesting and quirky occurrences, even those that may be slightly controversial, in an attempt to bring to light the personality and color that make Pike County of note. The chronological history has not been a consideration, as I do not dub myself a historian; there are many others, both past and present, that are better qualified to do such, and I thank them for their hard work. This book will, hopefully, give the reader a more intimate look at the people places and events that shaped the county.

Pike County is a publication that started out with much ambition and sought to cover all of the county’s history through images. In setting out to complete the project, I realized how much information we had on some townships, and how little on others. While the photograph collection of the Pike County Historical Society is quite vast, it primarily depicts Milford, Dingmans Ferry, Lehman Township, Milford Township, and Shohola. Although there certainly are enough pictures to fill this book from those places, I humbly apologize for the lack of depiction of the rest of the county. I plan on initiating a drive to collect photographs from the areas in which we are lacking in the near future so I can sleep better at night knowing each township and borough is equally represented within the archives of the county museum.

That said, it is my intention to tell a story, through photographs, of the people, places, and events that formed Pike County’s interesting history. I am not a historian, in the sense that I do not so much dwell on dates and names, but focus on the feeling of an era, an event, or a place. History is of interest to me for its ability to remind us that things were not always as they are now, and for the value of knowing about the things that happened before our time. Because of this, we can gauge the change in so many aspects of today’s society.

So please enjoy your trip through Pike County in days past. It is not all hearts and flowers, for in each life a little rain must fall.

One

THE COUNTY

ORIGINS. Pike County separated from Wayne County on March 26, 1814. It then was comprised of the townships of Middle Smithfield, Delaware, Upper Smithfield, Lackawaxen, and Palmyra. Lehman Township was added in 1829, Dingman Township and Milford joined the ranks of Pike in 1832, Greene and Westfall in 1839, Blooming Grove in 1850, Porter Township in 1851, and Shohola in 1852. Matamoras and Milford Boros came about later in time. The names Smithfield and Middle Smithfield fell by the wayside, leaving the 13 townships and boroughs that make up current-day Pike County.

MILFORD. Milford Township and Borough is worthy of much coverage. In the