Monroe County’s frontier forts: Fort Norris
Fort Norris was located in the western reaches of what is now Monroe County, and was named for Isaac Norris, a prominent Philadelphia Quaker who served as speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly and was later known as the man who commissioned the Liberty Bell. Read More...
Monroe County’s frontier forts: Fort Hyndshaw
November 11 , 2012 Filed in: Forts | Native Americans
From December 1755 to January 1756, frontier forts were built in and around present-day Stroudsburg and Shawnee-on-Delaware, but there was a necessity to protect the settlers who lived in the northeastern-most corner of the area. Benjamin Franklin, who was staying in Bethlehem, recognized the need for another fortress and instructed Capt. James Van Etten to erect one. This outpost, known as Fort Hyndshaw, represented the farthest extent of the northeastern defensive line of Pennsylvania’s forts. Fort Hyndshaw was in present-day Middle Smithfield Township, just south of the present-day Monroe/Pike County border, near Bushkill Creek. The fort was named for James Hyndshaw, a European colonist who lived nearby. Read More...
Monroe County’s frontier forts: Fort DePue
In 1755, an uneasy feeling between the native peoples and early settlers eventually made its way to the farm owned by the family of Nicholas DePue, one of the earliest white settlers of the Delaware Water Gap area. Samuel DePue, one of Nicholas’s son’s, had replaced the original log homestead with a large stone home. Because of its prime location near a reliable water source, one of Benjamin Franklin’s first acts in reaction to the growing hostilities between natives and settlers was to insist that the DePue homestead be occupied by a military force. Read More...
Benjamin Franklin and his tie to Monroe County’s frontier forts
In 1755, the Pennsylvania Assembly put Benjamin Franklin and James Hamilton in charge of creating a chain of forts along the Blue Mountains to protect citizens against attacks from native Americans. Franklin traveled to Bethlehem on December 18, 1755, to oversee the creation of these forts. The first to be built in the area now known as Monroe County was Fort Hamilton. Read More...
Town bands source of community pride
August 08 , 2012 Filed in: Arts
Throughout the last quarter of the 20th century, town bands flourished. Almost every village in Monroe County boasted its own town band. It didn’t matter if the band was large or small or if the members had matching uniforms or not — every village supported its local musicians. Read More...
Jacob Stroud: His likeness in famous painting?
June 06 , 2012 Filed in: Military | The Strouds
The name Jacob Stroud is well-known in Monroe County. Most citizens know that the town of Stroudsburg, which bears his name, was founded by this man. What no one knows, however, is what Jacob Stroud looked like. There are no known paintings, sketches, silhouettes, or drawings that directly depict Jacob Stroud, a surprising fact since Stroud was such an important figure in the development of the area. But there may be a painting in which Jacob Stroud can be incidentally found. Read More...
The history and art of the Easter egg
April 04 , 2012 Filed in: Holidays
Eggs have been a staple in the diets of humans since ancient times. Early civilizations not only survived on eggs as a food source, but they also regarded eggs as deep symbols of fertility, life, and a rebirth of the land after the cold winter months. Read More...
Local African-Americans fought in deadly Civil War battle
February 02 , 2012 Filed in: Civil War
More than 185,000 men of African descent served with the United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the American Civil War. This article provides a brief history of and local connection to the formation of the USCT. Read More...
A. Mitchell Palmer: Controversial national figure
January 01 , 2012 Filed in: People
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...