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    • About Us
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  • Exhibitions
    • Permanent Exhibits
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The World War II Collection of Edgar Robert Pohle

Edgar Robert PholeEdgar Pohle, the son of a well-known Honesdale merchant, was born on his mother's birthday, May 7, 1917. He graduated from Honesdale High School, and then worked with his father for eight years before being drafted into the United States Air Force on February 4, 1943. He was trained as an aerial gunner and assigned to a B-24 Liberator Bomber the Betty Jean, 217 based in southern Italy. On January 19, 1944, during its sixth mission as a member of the 449th Bomb Group of the 15th Air Force and just after releasing its bombs, the plane was hit by enemy shells, and caught fire. The crew of ten bailed out, landed 150 miles behind enemy lines, and was reported "missing in action" in northern Italy. This was Pohle's first parachute jump, which ended in a tree breaking his fall, and landed without a scratch. For six months Sgt. Pohle evaded being taken prisoner by hiding out, sleeping in barns and hilltops, working for a sympathetic farming family in the mountains of central Italy, and walked several hundred miles back to where his squadron was stationed in southern Italy. He returned to Honesdale to resume work in his father's store, Pohle Clothing Store, 809 Main Street which was directly across the street from the building in which this exhibit is housed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Exhibits
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A Walk Through Historic Wayne County
A Walk through Wayne County
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Boy Scout Troop 1 Honesdale
Boy Scout Troop 1 Honesdale
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Here Comes the Bride
Here Comes the Bride is an exhibit of eleven wedding gowns and related items dating from the 1850’s…
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Mapping Honesdale
Thirteen maps of Honesdale, Pennsylvania dating from 1776
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Stitches in Time
Stitches in Time
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The Artistic Vision of Howard Becker
The Artistic Vision of Howard Becker
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The History of Firefighting in Wayne County
The History of Firefighting in Wayne County
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The Wayne County Experience
The Wayne County Experience
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The World War II Collection of Edgar Robert Pohle
Edgar Pohle, the son of a well-known Honesdale merchant, was born on his mother's birthday, May 7,…
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Weston Stoneware
Weston Stoneware is a small temporary but interesting exhibit containing nineteen beautiful pieces…
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Working With Wood: Then & Now
Beginning in 1851, Robert Lovelass started making the organ entirely by hand with the exception of…
Permanent Exhibits
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Children's History Lab
The History Lab is a fun and informative way for families to learn about Wayne county History. Kids…
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Faces in Clay
The Faces in Clay exhibit originally opened in 1995 in the lower level of the 810 Main Street,…
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Movin' Energy
Movin' Energy: The History of the Delaware and Hudson Canal 1828-1898 exhibit is housed in the 1993…
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The Stourbridge Lion
In 1827 the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company began to investigate the use of the steam engine for…
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Wayne County's Glass
The society's entire glass collection is again on exhibit after five years in storage and pieces on…
News and Events
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WCHS NEPA Gives in the Spotlight
Jun 2, 2023, 6:00 AM
NEPA Gives is a generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform…
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Become a WCHS 2023 Sponsor
Jun 15, 2023, 6:00 AM
The WCHS is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations to the Society qualify as tax-deductible…
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Canal Boat Pavilion Grand Opening Dinner June 17, 2023
Jun 17, 2023, 6:00 AM
The event at D& H Canal Park at Lock 31 will be able to showcase the completed replica canal…
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Wayne County’s canal boat replica to be named after Clinton Leet
Aug 19, 2023, 10:00 AM
The Wayne County Historical Society is planning its 10th annual Canal Festival for August 19, 2023.…

About us   

Welcome to the Wayne County Historical Society, home of the full-size replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive to run on commercial track in the United States.

Our main museum and museum shop are housed in a building built in 1860 as headquarters of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company....click here for more information.

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News and Events

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Calendar
Calendar of Events at Wayne County Historical Society
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News
News the Wayne County Historical Society

Historic Sites

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Lake Como Inn
Historic Preservation Award given in 1997 to Peggie & Jonathan Scharf for…
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Edward O. Hamlin House
1422 N. Main Street, Honesdale Judith Edward Oscar Hamlin (1828-1895)…

Research Library

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Genealogy in Wayne County
Genealogical records WCHS Research Library at 810 Main Street, Honesdale…
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Historic Topics
Research materials at the WCHS Research Library, your best source for the…

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