To Equinunk I go

By WANDA WAYFARER

Pronounced Equi-knock, this northern Wayne County valley town sits gracefully on the banks of the Upper Delaware River and the Equinunk Creek. Traveling into the town along Route 191 will take you across strolling fields and curvy roads to the bottom of a great mountain.

Equinunk, PA is a small town founded in the 1820s by Josiah Parks. Its name comes from the Lenni Lenape word for “trout stream.” This small river valley community is untouched by heavy commerce. The families that remain here are mostly well rooted in its history.

A beautiful old canal house is home to the Equinunk Historical Society and The Calder Corner Shop that carries a line of crafts and gifts. The museum and shop are open daily in July and August from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.

There are few businesses in Equinunk, and those that are here are as old-fashioned and charming as one would expect. The Hunt family, which owns a few businesses, has a very unusual general store. Attached to the post office, Hunt’s carries all sorts of bulk foods at great prices. The aisles are full of spices, baking supplies, candies, dried fruits, beans, pastas, nuts and cookies. The prices are so reasonable that you wonder whether they are correct.

Upon entering town a massive red barn will greet you. Appropriately named The Old Village Barn Restaurant, the atmosphere inside is comfortable and casual and the food is home cooking.

Just down the road is a striking old building with neon signs lighting up the windows with names like Budweiser and Genesee. It is the Equinunk Bar, a local hangout that has a traffic light in front along with Christmas decorations still twisted around the outside of the building. The drinks are inexpensive and everybody knows and chats with one another.

Continuing my journey past the bar, I interrupt a kickball game going on in the field of the Methodist Church. The view is absolutely heavenly, with the Equinunk Creek meeting the Delaware River. Equinunk’s physical location is all valley; huge mountains border the river.

The small town’s cemetery, dated 1851, is up a slight driveway-like road. The tombstones are footed in green, rolling hills. The further up the hill you go, the older and more weather-beaten the tombstones become. Just 50 yards from the road, the cemetery is well shaded from the rest of Route 191. The feeling is both eerie and inviting.

Across the street from the cemetery is The Equinunk Emporium. The shape and the color pique one’s curiosity. The façade is a worn, mint green, and the building is shaped like a triangular German house. In front stand beautiful flowers and a funny little gnome. The inside is filled with magnificent glass pieces, eclectic treasures and priceless antiques.

There are only about a dozen businesses in Equinunk, but two of them are B&B’s. One is The Sandercock House and the other is the Blue Stone Inn. Both are period Victorians that lie on the banks or close to the Delaware.

The train runs through Equinunk also. It was an ideal location for the lumber business. Just over the bridge from Equinunk is its sister town, Lordsville, NY.

The people of Equinunk all know each other and are friendly and helpful to tourists. It seems as if they’re all fortified by the town’s history and happy to pass on any useful information. The beauty of the mountains and The Equinunk Creek, combined with its rustic Victorian charm, make Equinunk a traveler’s delight.