October 9, 2013
Spectacular sunset over Lake Naomi on annual dinner meeting night
ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP
October 9, 2013
Lake Naomi Club, Pocono Pines
Speaker: Amy Leiser, Monroe County Historical Association, ”History of Monroe County”
The annual dinner meeting at the Lake Naomi Club was called to order by Rick Bodenschatz. Bob Ray led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rick welcomed the guests and announced the coming events:
The November meeting program will be a presentation by Dr. Brian Alnutt on the Veteran’s of the Civil War.
The December meeting will be the third annual “Home for the Holidays” community musical celebration to be held at the Methodist Church of Pocono Lake. Free tickets will be available around Thanksgiving.
Rick thanked Pat Baker and Vilma Zabaleta for planning the dinner menu and Peter and staff for preparing a wonderful dinner.
Business: Frank McDevitt is leaving the HATT board of directors. Lew Rarig was nominated as his replacement and this will be voted on at the November meeting.
Rick reported that HATT has presented 16 programs this year, increased HATT membership by 56 persons to 195 members now and a total of 1200 attendees at all the meetings combined. The program chairman, Fred Lehrer set up all the programs and he is the glue holding together HATT, per Rick.
Fred Lehrer, program chairman, introduced the speaker, Amy Leiser, executive director of the Monroe County Historical Association. Amy spoke about the history of Monroe County, and relayed the following interesting facts:
The native Americans living in the county were members of the Lenape tribe, a sect of the Algonquians. They were divided into the turkey, turtle, and wolf clans.
Beginning in 1725 the white settlers began buying land in the county and built forts. John Sullivan was sent to the area by George Washington in 1779 to rid the Indians from the area.
Jacob Stroud was the founder of Stroudsburg and his son Daniel, a Quaker, built and lived in Stroud Mansion. The Monroe County Courthouse was built in 1839.
John Summerfield Staples was a paid substitute for Abraham Lincoln and William Walton ( a Quaker) enlisted as a medic in the Civil War. William Henry Christman from Pocono Lake, Tobyhanna Township, was the first person buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Early industries in the county included logging, ice making and brick glazing. In 1891 Cresco Cash Store began selling ready-made clothing and in 1910 Brown and Keller opened a furniture and undertaking business.
The Shaffers school was opened in 1823.
Early transportation was via the stagecoach and then by railroad from Stroudsburg to Easton. Tourism became popular in the early 20th century with the opening of places like the Skytop Lodge, Inn at Buckhill Falls, and the Inn of Pocono Manor.
The Kresge family founded the 5 and 10 cent store, the first of what became K-Mart.
The county was damaged by the flood of 1955 and Hurricane Diane.
Following the presentation Amy answered questions and Fred Lehrer gave a certificate of appreciation to her for her interesting PowerPoint presentation.
Rick Bodenschatz thanked everyone for attending and the meeting was adjourned. There were 88 attendees.
Respectfully submitted:
Jeanne Dyer, HATT Secretary
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