Stourbridge Lion celebrates its 175th run

HONESDALE, PA — Historic Honesdale, known as the birthplace of the American railroad, will host its annual Railroad Days on Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8. This year, the Wayne County Historical Museum, located at 810 Main Street, will be celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Stourbridge Lion’s first run.

The original Stourbridge Lion was built in 1828 in Stourbridge, England and shipped to the United States where it became the first locomotive to run on a railroad in America on August 8, 1829. Events over the weekend will include:

• Full-scale replica of the Stourbridge Lion at the Wayne County Historical Museum on Saturday, August 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A $3 fee provides full access to the museum, which also currently features exhibits of glass, the Delaware and Hudson Canal, Weston Stoneware and Native Americans.

• Railroad exhibits at the new Exhibit Hall at the Wayne County Visitor Center displaing depicting the movement of coal on the old Gravity Railroad and Delaware and Hudson Canal.

• Stourbridge Rail Excursions depart at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday from the Visitor Center, one block from Main Street.

• “Roar of the Lion” dinner theater on Saturday, August 7 at 4:30 p.m., departing from the Honesdale Station for a round trip ride to Lackawaxen. Upon arrival, Hawley’s own Ritz Company Players will present a short vignette, “Train of Thought — A Lion’s Share of the Pride.” Included in the ticket price is a BBQ catered by The Red Schoolhouse. The cost is $35. Reservations are required. Call the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce at 800/433-9008 or visit stourbridgerail.com.

• Free guided tour of Wayne Counties Old Stone Jail by The Historical Society on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The Old Stone Jail, located between the Wayne County Courthouse and Tenth Street, was used to house prisoners from 1859 to 1936.

• Stourbridge Model Railroad Club Open House on Saturday, August 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Grace Episcopal Parish Hall, 827 Church Street. The club has created a large HO Gauge railroad display that depicts the mythical town of “Wayne.”

• The Historical Museum’s open house on Sunday, August 8 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. honoring the Stourbridge Lion’s first run. “Horatio Allen,” the engineer on the Stourbridge Lion during its historic run, will make appearances at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 p.m.

For more information call 570/253-5492 or visit honesdale.com.