Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania

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Coordinates: 41°00′44″N 75°06′37″W / 41.012309°N 75.110377°W / 41.012309; -75.110377
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Shawnee on Delaware
Shawnee Inn, as seen from the banks of the Delaware River, September 2012
Shawnee Inn, as seen from the banks of the Delaware River, September 2012
Shawnee on Delaware is located in Pennsylvania
Shawnee on Delaware
Shawnee on Delaware
Coordinates: 41°00′44″N 75°06′37″W / 41.012309°N 75.110377°W / 41.012309; -75.110377
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyMonroe
TownshipSmithfield
Founded byNicholas Depuy (1727)
ZIP
18356

Shawnee on Delaware is an unincorporated community on the Delaware River, part of Smithfield Township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated just south of the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, 2.6 miles (4.2 km) southwest of the Shawnee Mountain Ski Area and approximately 75 miles (121 km) west of New York City.

The first white settler, Nicholas Depuy, arrived from

Buckwood Inn with a course designed by A. W. Tillinghast in the early 20th century. The largest red cedar
tree in the state is situated at Shawnee Presbyterian Church Cemetery, standing 36 feet (11 m) high and 67 inches (1.7 m) around the trunk.

History

Fort Depuy. The village was given its name by a surveyor sent by William Penn, who mistakenly thought the local Indians were Shawnee.[2]

In 1736, a ferry began to operate, traveling from Shawnee between Shawnee Island and Depuy Island, then across the Delaware River to New Jersey. By 1740 Aaron Depuy was operating a store, and in 1753 he built a stone and log church used by ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church. The cornerstone of this church remains, now part of the Shawnee Presbyterian Church. The farming community grew steadily, using the river to transport produce. A post office was built in 1843, and a brick church was erected in 1853 on the foundation of the old stone and log church.[2] Some of the original beams still remain, as well as the original sounding board.[3] Judge J. Depue LeBar moved to Shawnee from Pahaquarry Township, New Jersey in about 1850, and by the end of the decade he'd opened a general store in the village.[4] In 1888 the River School was built near Shawnee, made of stone and sporting a roof-framing system with wood and iron truss members.[5]

Charles Campbell Worthington was a successful businessman, owner of the Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation.[6] In the late 1890s Worthington began to spend an increasing amount of time at his country home in Shawnee on Delaware, and in 1900 he retired to live in Shawnee.[7] In 1904 he built Worthington Hall, later known as the Shawnee Playhouse. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, but the building was de-listed in 1986 after being demolished following a fire caused by arson on June 24, 1985.[8] The playhouse was rebuilt with help from the people of Shawnee on Delaware, the

The National Trust, a Community Development Block Grant, and others.[8] Charles Campbell Worthington also established the Worthington Society, a society dedicated to ornithology which was directed by Charles W. Miller. The society caught over 300 pigeons on the grounds in less than three months.[9]

Geography

Shawnee Mountain Ski Area in East Stroudsburg

The village is just south of the foothills of the

Tocks Island, the site of a proposed controversial dam project following flooding on the river in 1955.[11] The largest red cedar tree in the state is situated at Shawnee Presbyterian Church Cemetery, standing 36 feet (11 m) high and 67 inches (1.7 m) around the trunk, with a 36 feet (11 m) crown.[12]

Government

Although Shawnee on Delaware is an unincorporated community with no municipal or governmental structure of its own, it is subordinate to the local government of Smithfield Township and the county government of Monroe County.[13] The Shawnee Preservation Society is a not-for-profit, voluntary organization, which functions under state law, dedicated to "preserving the quality of life in Shawnee-On-Delaware, Smithfield Township, and surrounding areas".[14]

Economy

Middle Smithfield Township
, 1970
1926 letter on Buckwood Inn stationery

Lime, produced by burning limestone, was used to neutralize acidity and improve the fertility of the soil in the Shawnee area. One of the local farmers built a lime kiln into a slope on his property; the kiln on John Turn Farm is well-preserved and is listed as a historic place.[15][16] Hiram, son of Judge J. Depue LeBar, farmed about three hundreds across on Shawnee Island, which included land of the present day golf course. A barn, 110 feet (34 m) long by 60 feet (18 m) was built which could hold some hundred tons of grain when full, with room to store forty acres of wheat and twenty acres of oats.[4] A stone mill was also built in the vicinity, the first flour mill in Smithfield Township, which would be ground and loaded onto boats and sold in Philadelphia.[17]

Worthington built the

Shawnee Mower Factory to manufacture it.[7]

With the depression the inn's business suffered, and the building was not properly maintained. Worthington's family sold the inn in 1943 to

Hal Leonard Corporation.[21]

Many of Waring's celebrity friends visited the inn and played golf. Among them were

Bill Diddle expanded the course to 27 holes. Waring sold the inn in 1974 to Philadelphia real estate developer Karl Hope, who expanded the operation and made it less exclusive, introducing timesharing and adding skiing and water activities.[22][2] Hope established the Shawnee Mountain Ski Area which contributes to the income received in the Shawnee area, employing Olympic Gold medalist Jean-Claude Killy as director of ski operations.[22]

Media

variety music format.[23]
The
construction permit for the station on February 14, 2003.[24] The station was assigned the WCSD-LP call sign on March 18, 2003.[25] It received its license to cover on November 4, 2004.[26] Licensed to Shawnee-on-Delaware, the station serves the Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania area and is currently owned by Shawnee Presbyterian Church.[27]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Grumet 1995, p. 26.
  2. ^ a b c d About Shawnee: Shawnee Inn.
  3. ^ LeBar 2002, p. 14.
  4. ^ a b LeBar 2002, p. 13.
  5. ^ Obiso 2008, p. 43.
  6. ^ a b Maurer 1999, p. 1.
  7. ^ a b c d Davis 2011, p. 69.
  8. ^ a b History & Mission: Shawnee Playhouse.
  9. ^ Dearborn 1912, p. 13.
  10. ^ a b Google (March 28, 2014). "Shawnee on Delaware" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  11. ^ United States Army Corps of Engineers 1962, p. 99.
  12. ^ Fergus 2002, p. 44.
  13. ^ Michael Barn: Library of Congress.
  14. ^ About Us: The Shawnee Preservation Society.
  15. ^ Ciba 1992.
  16. ^ John Turn Farm: Library of Congress.
  17. ^ LeBar 2002, p. 15.
  18. ^ Buffington 1935.
  19. ^ Sommers 1996, p. 31.
  20. ^ Fred Waring: Library of Congress.
  21. ^ Shawnee Press - A History of Excellence.
  22. ^ a b Summa, Summa & Garris 2005, p. 58.
  23. ^ Station Information Profile: Arbitron.
  24. ^ Application Search Details 2003.
  25. ^ Call Sign History.
  26. ^ Application Search Details : FCC.
  27. ^ WCSD-LP Facility Record.

Sources

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Shawnee on Delaware.
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