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    • About Us
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    • Membership
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  • Exhibitions
    • Permanent Exhibits
    • Past Exhibits
    • New Exhibits 2021
  • History
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Cut Glass Industry

Glass VaseFor many years Wayne County was known nationally and internationally for its cut glass. In 1862 Christian Dorflinger came to White Mills, Pennsylvania from Brooklyn, New York and bought the Captain Aaron Flower property, which is now the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary and Glass Museum.

Mr. Dorflinger started the glassware factories there in 1865 and Dorflinger Glass, blown and cut at White Mills, was furnished for decades for the White House, for U. S. ships, the royal houses of Europe, and the elite everywhere. The business reached its peak in 1903, employing 700 men.

Jacob Faatz opened the Honesdale Glass Company at the mouth of Carley Brook in the area knows as Tracyville in East Honesdale. The factory failed after three years and went through several owners before James Brookfield in 1849 made it a success. At one point this factory was named the Anthracite Glass Company because it was the first to use anthracite coal to make glass in the County. But in 1861 the dam on one of the feeder ponds for the D & H Canal gave way and the water rushed down Carley Brook and destroyed the factory.

In 1882 the Hawley Glass Company was built on Crystal Street, Hawley along with several company houses, which were rented to the factory’s workers. Five-gallon, quart, and pint bottles and jars were hand-blown individually. Along with other buildings, the flood of 1942 swept the company’s buildings downstream.

Louis W. Rickert (1909-1960) learned the art of cutting glass under Christian Dorflinger. When Dorflinger’s company closed in 1921, Louis was one of three men of White Mills who did not go to work at Corning Glass Company, N.Y. He worked for other cut glass companies in Honesdale and Hawley. In the early 1950’s he built his own shop next to this homestead in Indian Orchard and taught himself the intricate art of glass engraving. Louis Rickert cut until his death in 1960.

These were just a few who contributed to the glass industry of Wayne County.

Visit our Research Library for more information and photographs.

Navigation
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Cut Glass Industry
For many years Wayne County was known nationally and internationally for its cut glass. In 1862…
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Delaware & Hudson Canal Co Office
Pictured on the front is the entrance of the former office of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co., 810…
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Gravity Railroad
The Gravity Railroad was suggested by engineer Benjamin Wright, engineer of the company, as a more…
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Irving Cliff
Irving's trip to Honesdale was described in a letter from Washington Irving to his sister in glowing…
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Jennie Brownscombe: Wayne County's Own
The National Museum of Women in the Arts has called Jennie Brownscombe "a kind of Norman Rockwell of…
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The Stourbridge Lion and the Birthplace of America's Commercial Railroad
In 1827 the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company began to investigate the use of the steam engine for…
News and Events
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Towpath Guided Walk May 13, 2023
May 13, 2023, 10:00 AM
Come and learn about the history of Lock 31 and the D&H Canal at 10:00 a.m., on May 13, 2023.…
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Canal Boat Pavilion Grand Opening Dinner Walk 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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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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Sheroshek Farm
Clinton Township This large, well-maintained Victorian house, once known as…
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The Spring House
Carley Brook Road, Berlin Township As we travel through Wayne County's…

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
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