A trip back in time in historic Honesdale

Third annual house tour recalls a rich era in Honesdale’s past

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — Those whose experience of Honesdale is limited to the strip malls and box stores to the south are missing a rare treat. Travel a little further north to the Historic District, and visitors will find themselves amid a veritable chocolate-box of charming Victorian-era architecture. On most days, they have to be satisfied with views of the exteriors and a few tempting glimpses through the windows. But for the past two years, the Friends of the Honesdale Library have offered the public the opportunity to view some of these gems from the inside, and learn something of their history. This year they will be hosting such a tour for the third time, on Saturday, June 28.

Many of the stately homes in the Historic District were built during a prosperous mercantile era in the middle years of the 19th century. Honesdale during this period arose and prospered because of the construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, which was the first million-dollar engineering endeavor in the nation. It also saw the creation of the first railroad in America, which brought coal from the coal mines near Scranton on the gravity railroad to Honesdale, where it was loaded into the barges of the canal. Thence it traveled via the canal to the Hudson River and ultimately to New York City.

Each home, as visitors will learn on the tour, has a piece of the history of that period attached to it. One example is the home built by B.L. Wood for the prosperous Honesdale merchant William Weiss, who made his fortune as a grocer, making and bottling soda. It was built in 1876, and is tucked away unobtrusively in the southeast corner of the Historic District on the corner of Park and Dyberry streets.

Weiss, who became a legendary character in his time, was born in Bohemia in 1819 and came to America in 1848. His obituaries all mention that as a youth, he wanted to experience America closely—so he walked all the way from Elizabeth, NJ to Paupack, PA, by a road that went through Easton, PA.

Weiss, who was one of the early members of the Beth Israel Synagogue and the Freedom Lodge of the Odd Fellows, settled in his spacious Victorian Queen Anne house and began putting his particular stamp on it, building a remarkable garden where, after his retirement, he was said to spend most of his leisure hours priming it.

The house, which has a cross-gabled roof and symmetrical façade that is typical of the style, possesses two porches, one on the first floor and another on the second.

The Weiss house is one of nine that will be open for inspection and perusal on Saturday, June 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All nine are within walking distance of the Wayne County Public Library on the corner of 14th and Main Streets. Attendance in the tour will cost $20, the proceeds of which will benefit the library.

“We need to support our library financially, since the county’s contribution is really insufficient,” said Pat Sanders, chairwoman of the tour. “Cake sales and book sales just don’t make it. So we held the first of our house tours and were so successful, not only financially but socially, that we decided to hold another the second year and again the third—this year.”

The tour raised $6,000 the first year with about 300 people participating. “This year we hope to attract 500 participants,” Sander said.

Those wishing to join the tour must appear at the library where they will receive a list identifying and explaining the houses.

On this year’s tour…

The William Weiss House, corner of Park Street and Dyberry Place. (See article).

The General Lyman Lemnitzer House, corner of 15th and West Streets. This house was built for the famed Honesdale-born soldier who became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the American military.

The William Howell Foster House, 14th and Main Street (present home of the library). A late Victorian House of the Second Empire, built in 1869.

The Grant W. Lane House, 1702 West Street. Built around 1895, it combines the Queen Anne style with Colonial Revival.

The Horace Marsh House, 1708 East Street. Built in 1875, it lost some of its period external details but has its interior intact, with many built-in cupboards, columns and arches.

The John Hiller House, 1311 West Street. Built around 1890, it is a simplified Queen Anne structure with irregularly shaped roof features with both a hipped section and cross gables.

The “Superintendent’s House,” 1423 East Street. A Tudor style house with gables, dormers, half-timbers, a bay window and wall overhang, it was associated with the Glen Dyberry Cemetery.

The John D. Weston House, 1411 North Main Street. Part of the tour in previous years, this house is open again by popular demand, with unique woodwork, fixtures and stained glass pocket doors.

The Edward O. Hamlin House, 1422 North Main Street. A large 1888 Victorian, this Queen Anne house has a cantilevered wall extension on the north side, two-story bay and porch with secondary gables.