THE STROUD MANSION is CLOSED
FOR OUR HERITAGE CENTER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
See Heritage Center page
Temporary office and research library now open • 748 Main St., 2nd Floor, Stroudsburg
Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. • Appointments recommended
570-421-7703 • NOT handicapped accessible
7 p.m., Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort
100 Shawnee Inn Drive, Shawnee-on-Delaware
David C. Pierce
“Tocks Island: Dammed If You Do”
Pierce, a retired journalist, has written extensively about the legacy of the ill-fated Tocks Island Dam and subsequent creation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area from property that was seized for the project. The 13-year struggle was convoluted, sometimes bizarre and often heart-wrenching.
The hour-long talk and PowerPoint presentation is based on his 2023 book, “Tocks Island: Dammed If You Do: The Homegrown Movement that Defeated the Delaware River Dam.”
Pierce will answer questions, and copies of his book will be available for purchase.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
After graduating from Stroudsburg High School in 1974, Pierce embarked on a reporting and editing career that took him to the Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, Alaska Public Radio, and the Springville (New York) Journal.
He then came back to Stroudsburg to become a reporter for the Pocono Record from 2000-2016, and over the course of his long career, his work has been honored by several journalistic organizations.
After leaving journalism, Pierce worked for the DWG National Recreational Area in 2017 and 2018 as a summer interpretive ranger.
He tracked down long-lost federal court documents and deed transfers at the National Archives that were never recorded in the counties where the property acquisitions took place.
Pierce and his wife, Mary, live in Smithfield Township.
7 p.m., Barrett Township Administrative & Recreation Complex
1200 Route 390, Cresco
Peter Gonze
“Promised Landand the Civilian Conservation Corps”
The CCC was put to work on projects to improve America's public lands, forests and parks. They planted 3.5 billion trees to combat soil erosion and forest fires, and to protect against future Dust Bowl disasters.
Locally, 1,500 men served at Promised Land in Pike County, 10 miles north of Canadensis, along Pennsyvlania Route 390. They helped transform the area, leaving us a legacy of beautiful, forested lands for recreation and wildlife.
The program ended as the country began preparing to enter World War II. But in the CCC, a generation of young people found purpose, learned a trade and the satisfaction of useful work, and made friendships that lasted for life.
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources — The Civilian Conservation Corps
- CCC Legacy: Passing the Legacy to Future Generations
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Peter Gonze grew up in Long Island and New Jersey and began coming to the Poconos with his family for weekends and vacations in the 1950s.
After graduating from Drexel University, Peter began a 45-year career in the pharmaceutical industry where he worked domestically and internationally. Upon his retirement, he and his wife, Debbie Mattie, moved from the Boston area to live full-time in Henryville.
Gonze now serves on the Paradise Township Board of Supervisors, the Pocono Mountain Regional Emergency Services board, and the Paradise Township Historical Society and Lake Swiftwater Club boards of directors.
He enjoys golf, skiing, fly-fishing and riding his motorcycle. He and Debbie are beekeepers and tend a large flower garden.
7 p.m., Northampton Community College-Pocono
2411 Route 715, Tannersville • Keystone Hall Community Room
David Koster
“Reflections on the 1955 FloodThrough the Camera of Albert Koster:A Then and Now Perspective”
In the hours after the water receded, 25-year-old Al Koster, East Stroudsburg resident and budding photographer, captured ground-level and aerial photos of the devastation.
While many photos were taken, Koster’s differed as they were in vivid color.
Evidence of the flood’s aftermath is still visible today if you know where and how to look. His son, David, will display many of his father’s original photos, describing them in historical context and comparing them with views of the same locations as they appear today.
Returning to East Stroudsburg, he established Pocono Scenicards & Postcards, producing photos for local resorts and businesses and also producing scenic postcards of the Pocono Mountain vacation area. (See his Tocks Island Dam postcard, above.)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: David Koster is a native of East Stroudsburg, although he lived many years away in Florida and North Carolina.
He recently returned to Monroe County for his retirement from classroom teaching and corporate learning and development. He keeps busy hiking and biking, exploring activities and places around the northeast, and volunteering at the Historical Association.
7 p.m., Ray Price Stroud Ford Lincoln Auto Park
6320 Route 209, Stroudsburg • Ray Price Community Room (Ford building)
Dan McSweeney
“Cold War, Hot Pursuit:History of the SS United States,America’s Greatest Ocean Liner”
In many instances, this hard power blended gracefully with our nation’s political, economic, diplomatic, and cultural strengths during the Cold War.
A prime example of this harmony was the design, construction, and operation of the steamship christened “United States.” The vessel completed 400 mishap-free voyages, mainly between Manhattan’s Pier 86 and ports in England, France, and Germany from 1952-1969.
On her maiden voyage, this fabled ocean liner easily trounced the standing transatlantic speed record by half a day, without reaching full power. That record still stands. “The Big U,” as she was known by crew members, could travel faster in reverse than most current ships of her size can travel forward.
The SS United States hosted three American presidents and countless military, political, business, arts, and diplomatic leaders from dozens of countries during her 17 years of service. The vessel also offered state-of-the-art amenities and affordable passage for everyday American families of diverse backgrounds and thousands of immigrants to our shores.
She was a striking symbol of American strength and ideals and a secret weapon during the Cold War in more ways than one.
But in this zenith were the seeds of the ship’s slow and tragic downfall, a reflection of broader national and geopolitical dynamics. Today, the gutted liner is moored 111 miles down the Delaware River from us in South Philadelphia, awaiting an uncertain fate.
What were the high and low tides which defined the legendary career of this vessel — the flagship of our country? Join us for an overview of this history, the ship's connections to our community, and some intimate reflections on the SS United States during this interactive Third Thursday lecture.
In 2004, Dan McSweeney co-founded the SS United States Conservancy and served as its executive director, in order to raise public awareness and support for the preservation of this historic and last-remaining American ocean liner.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dan McSweeney’s father came to America from Glasgow, Scotland, and served as a crew member aboard the SS United States for almost the entire service career of the ship.
Dan’s mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico and taught at East Stroudsburg University and Penn State Hazleton.
Dan himself was born in Manhattan and moved to East Stroudsburg with his family in 1977. He attended local schools before graduating from Valley Forge Military Academy and beginning a career in military service, policy, organizational management, and communications.
He holds graduate degrees in international affairs and business administration from Columbia and Fordham universities.
Dan served as a Marine officer in Iraq, Kosovo, East Africa, other areas of operation, and at the Pentagon.
His current pursuits include community development in New York, documentary film production, support for the Territorial Defense Forces in Ukraine, and volunteering with the Monroe County Historical Association. (Ask him about the upcoming Spirited History walking tours.)
7 p.m., Middle Smithfield Township Community and Cultural Center,
5200 Milford Rd. (Route 209), East Stroudsburg
Jeffrey Wright
“A History of the African AmericanCommunity in Monroe County”
He will also discuss the organization of the Stroudsburg Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the 1850s, which remains an important historical landmark in the country.
Wright reports that we know from the Slave Register pursuant to Pennsylvania’s Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in 1780 that there were slaves in our area. The 1790 Census indicates there were both slaves and free people of color in what is now Monroe County.
At the time, Northampton County included the present counties of Northampton, Lehigh, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne, and in 1790, the highest concentration of people of color — 50 % — lived in what is now Monroe County.
But by the time of the 1800 Census, there were no slaves here.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jeffery L. Wright is a Stroudsburg attorney and historian specializing in local black history.
He has served on the board of directors and as president of the Stroudsburg Little Bethel Historical Association.
He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with B.A. degree in history in 1969 and from Duquesne University School of Law with a J.D. degree in 1972.
Always a history buff, Jeffrey began researching his family tree and the history of Perry County, Pa., at age 12.
He has served on the board of directors and as president of the Monroe County Historical Association, and in 2020 was honored with the association’s Volunteer of the Year Award.
He was a founder of the Eastern Monroe Public Library Foundation, and has served on the board of directors and as president of the Pennsylvania Snowsports Museum.
He has written several booklets and articles on local history, including “The Formation of the County: Its Townships” in Monroe County, Pennsylvania: 175th Anniversary 1836-2011 and “How the Borough was Mapped Out: Early Surveys Tell the Story of Dansbury and then Stroudsburg.” Most recently he published "History of the Rotary Club of the Stroudsburgs” in 2022.
7 p.m., Monroe County Bar Association
913 Main St., Stroudsburg
Michael Muth
“Real Lawyers: A Historyof the Monroe County Public Defender Office in the 20th Century”
It will cover the impact of Gideon v Wainwright (1963) and how Monroe County met this new requirement.
On April 21, 1962, The U.S. Supreme Court received a handwritten letter from a Florida inmate asking the justices to review his theft conviction.
The 12-page letter argued that he had been denied his right to an attorney during his trial because he couldn’t afford one. The Florida courts had decided that, even though he was indigent, the U.S. Constitution did not require that he receive a free lawyer, paid for by the state.
Thus began the saga of Clarence Gideon and the eventual requirement that if a person could not afford a lawyer in a criminal case, a free lawyer would be provided for them.
And thus began what has become to be known as the public defender, and the right to counsel.
- United States Courts — Facts and Case Summary: Gideon v. Wainwright
- Monroe Country Public Defender’s Office
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Michael R. Muth is a 1972 graduate of Ohio University, where he was on the speech and debate teams, winning the national championship in Impromptu Speaking in 1972.
He graduated from law school at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1975 where he was a member of the Moot Court team.
Muth spent his entire legal career in Monroe County, where for 28 years he served the community as a public defender, 25 of those years as the county’s chief public defender. He was the president of the Pennsylvania Public Defender Association for two years.
He also practiced private law as a senior partner in the firm of Muth, Zulick and Worthington in Stroudsburg.
In 2005, he was elected magisterial district judge for East Stroudsburg, and twice re-elected. He retired at the end of his third term on Dec. 30, 2023.
THIRD THURSDAY
Lecture Series
Presented April through OctoberNo lecture in August
The Monroe County Historical Association’s popular Third Thursday Lecture Series is “on the road” again this year!
Since the Stroud Mansion is closed for construction, the Historical Association will hold the 2024 lecture series at a different location around the county each month.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend these educational and informative presentations.
NOTE: Attendance is free, but advance registration requested. SEE BELOW.
All presentations are held the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
CLICK ON LECTURE NAMES BELOW
FOR MORE INFORMATION & LOCATIONS
▪ Thursday, May 16, 2024 — “Promised Land and the Civilian Conservation Corps,” Peter Gonze
▪ Thursday, June 20, 2024 — "Reflections on 1955 Flood Through the Camera of Albert Koster,” David Koster
▪ Thursday, July 18, 2024 — “History of the SS United States, America’s Greatest Ocean Liner,” Dan McSweeney
▪ Thursday, September 19, 2024 — “History of African American Community in Monroe County,” Jeffrey Wright
▪ Thursday, October 17, 2024 — “History of Monroe County Public Defenders Office,” Michael Muth
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUESTED
Call 570-421-7703 or send an email to reserve your spot.
All lectures are video recorded for those unable to attend, and are posted here and on our YouTube channel following the event. See links to previous year lectures below.
Call 570-421-7703 or contact us.