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Scott Township

At the time Scott Township was established in 1821 it included approximately half of what was to become Preston Township. At that time it was the fourth largest township in size and the most sparsely populated. Most of the earliest settlers in Scott Township came from other parts of Wayne County although there was a large contingent of people from New York who settled here.

Among the first settlers in the township is Samuel Alexander of Mendon, Mass. He had initially settled in Deposit, NY and soon after moved across the state line to Pennsylvania. He was joined by Elihu Tallman of Massachusetts, Peter Coal of Albany, NY and Rev. Gershom Williams of Long Island, NY.

Rev. Williams played an active part in the early history of Scott Township. He inherited considerable wealth and at one time owned property in the vicinity of Trinity Church and was the largest interest holder in the only ferry that ran between New York City and Brooklyn. He built one of the first saw mills in Scott Township about1820 and served as the township’s first postmaster when the Post Office at Scott Center was established in 1829 and was the town surveyor. However, his life took a tragic turn when, on August 1, 1847, his wife was murdered by a tramp named Harris Bell while on her way to teach a Sunday School Class. Harris Bell was convicted of murder and hanged in Honesdale on September 29, 1848.

In addition to the saw mills built by Gershom Williams and Squire Sampson, Joseph Saunders and Jesse Sampson erected a mill just below the village of New Baltimore in 1828. That mill was later re-built by Egbert Mills who added machinery for making cider. H. W. Brandt, Jacob Sclager, Henry Brunig and William Bergmiller started a tannery at the village of New Baltimore in 1855. After it closed the Scott Chemical Company was organized on that site to manufacture acetate of lime, wood alcohol and charcoal.

The first school was erected at the foot of Maple Hill in 1826 with Emily Stiles as the first teacher. Worship services originally were conducted in private homes until 1851 when Maple Hill Baptist Church members began holding their prayer meetings in an old school house. The Post Office at Sherman (formerly New Baltimore) was established in 1876 with Henry Brunig as its first postmaster. It was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman who was then at the height of his popularity.

The village of New Baltimore was renamed after Civil War hero William Tecumseh Sherman, who was then at the height of his popularity, and the post office at Sherman was established in 1876 with Henry Brunig as its first postmaster.

In 1877 Rev. Willard Parsons, a Presbyterian minister, asked members of his congregation in Sherman to act as host families to provide country vacations for New York City’s neediest children. This was the beginning of the Fresh Air Fund, a non-profit organization created to enable children living in disadvantaged communities to get away from the hot, noisy city streets and enjoy a free summer experience in the country. By 1881 the Fund was expanding so rapidly that Reverend Parson requested support from The New York Herald Tribune. In 1888 the organization was incorporated as The Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society. Today, with assistance from the New York Times, thousands of children stay with host families in 13 states or attend one of five Fresh Air Fund Summer Camps. Since 1877 the Fresh Air Fund has helped more than 1.7 million children.

 

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Navigation
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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…

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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.

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The Dorflinger-Suydam House
White Mills The Dorflinger Suydam House is the centerpiece of the Wildlife…
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Jeremiah Gilpin Homestead
Rt. T343, Sterling Township Jeremiah Gilpin purchased this farm from Simon…

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Genealogy in Wayne County
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