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  • Exhibitions
    • Permanent Exhibits
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Bethany Borough

Bethany was incorporated as a Borough on March 31, 1821, but this charming village occupied a place of prominence much earlier in Wayne County’s history. When Wayne County was established from a portion of Northampton County in 1798, Milford, now in Pike County, was chosen as the county seat. This choice did not meet many residents' approval because Milford’s location required difficulty to travel through the rough country to attend to any legal matters. In 1799 the county seat was relocated to a place within four miles of Dyberry Forks, as Honesdale was then known. Until suitable county buildings could be erected, the county seat was to be located at Wilsonville. This choice was even less popular, so it was decided that the county seat would be moved back to Milford for a period of three years and then located at Bethany. Ultimately, the first court in Bethany was held at Jason Torrey’s house on May 6, 1805, with the Honorable John Biddis presiding. Honesdale became the county seat in 1841.

The first courthouse was constructed on the public square, and a log jail was built nearby. The jail housed not only criminals but also those who could not pay their debts. The law at that time allowed the plaintiff to sell all of the debtor’s property, including his last knife and fork, and then send him to jail. The plaintiff could detain the debtor in jail by paying the sheriff fourteen cents a day until the debtor could afford to file an expensive application under the insolvent laws and gain his release. The law that allowed imprisonment for debt was repealed on July 12, 1842.

John Bishop of New Jersey is said to be the first settler in Bethany, and John Bunting from Canaan Township built the first house, followed by Major Jason Torrey of Massachusetts in 1802. Jason Torrey, who moved to Honesdale in 1826, played an important role throughout the early history of the county. Solomon Moore of New York served as the first Postmaster in Bethany. Wayne County’s first newspaper, The Wayne County Mirror, was published in Bethany in 1818 by James Manning of Connecticut.

Among Bethany’s more illustrious sons are David Wilmot, who wrote the famous Wilmot Proviso and Nathaniel B. Eldred of Orange County New York practiced law in Bethany for 20 years, served on the State Legislature, and was appointed president judge of the Pennsylvania eighteenth, sixth, twelfth and twenty-second districts respectively. Another notable native of Bethany is George W. Woodward, who served as a Congress member and was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

 

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Bethany Borough
Bethany was incorporated as a Borough on March 31, 1821, but this charming village occupied a place…
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Buckingham Township
One of the five original townships when Wayne County was formed in 1798, Buckingham was much larger…
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Canaan Township
Canaan, along with the other four original townships of Wayne County, was established in 1798.…
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Cherry Ridge Township
Cherry Ridge Township was established on April 30, 1844 from portions of Texas and Canaan Townships.…
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Clinton Township
Clinton Township was established on November 17, 1834 from portions of Canaan, Mount Pleasant, and…
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Damascus Township
Damascus Township is the fifth and largest of the original townships created with the establishment…
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Dreher Township
The first white man to settle in the area is said to be Denman Coe, a Yankee schoolteacher, who had…
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Dyberry Township
Although the exact date of Dyberry’s establishment as a township cannot be documented, it was…
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Lehigh Township
Lehigh is the youngest of Wayne County’s twenty- two townships, having been established from a…
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Manchester Township
Manchester Township was created from a portion of Buckingham Township in 1826 and is separated from…
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Mount Pleasant Township
Mount Pleasant Township was one of the six original townships created when Wayne County was…
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Palmyra Township
Palmyra is another of the six original townships formed when Wayne County was established from a…
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Preston Township
Preston Township was established on April 28, 1828 from portions of Mount Pleasant and Scott…
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Salem Township
Salem Township was established in 1808. It was taken from a portion of Canaan Township and Delaware…
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Scott Township
At the time Scott Township was established in 1821 it included approximately half of what was to…
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South Canaan Township
Canaan Township was one of the original townships established in 1798 and several townships had been…
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Sterling Township
The township of Sterling was taken from a portion of Salem Township on April 25, 1815 and is said to…
News and Events
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Bethel School Open House July 10, 2022
Jul 10, 2022, 1:00 PM
All Bethel School Open Houses are from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m on Sunday, July 10, 2022. Special programs…
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Bethel School Open House August 14, 2022
Aug 14, 2022, 1:00 PM
All Bethel School Open Houses are from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m on Sunday August 14, 2022. Special programs…
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Cars Cruising at the Canal
Sep 10, 2022, 1:00 PM
Cars Cruising at the Canal will be held on September 10, 2022 at 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM at the Historic…

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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The Spring House
Carley Brook Road, Berlin Township As we travel through Wayne County's…
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First Baptist Church
The Baptist denomination has the honor of establishing the first church in…

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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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