Cows and croquet: A look at Honesdale's Central Park in the 1800s

Editor's note: This is part one in a series looking at the history of Honesdale's park system.

There was a time in Honesdale when residents brought their cows to graze in Central Park. It wasn't long, however, before the wishes prevailed of people who wanted the public square to be for children to toss a ball, build leaf forts, or make a snowman, or for adults to stroll, play croquet, listen to a brass band or just sit under leafy maple shade on a bright vermillion park bench.

In the late 19th century, Honesdale opened several new parks. None of these amenities, however, have been as enduring or well-used as what was first called Public Square in the center of the county seat. Here, Central Park has always been opposite a stately courthouse, high spired corner churches and handsome, well-kept historic residences, most of which are now well-preserved for offices.

First known as Dyberry Forks, Honesdale was established in the mid-1820s by the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Canal Company as the terminus of its canal used to transport coal delivered by gravity railroad.

The D&H laid out the southern half of town; Jason Torrey, a land agent and surveyor, laid out the northern portion. Their surveys met halfway through the park. Torrey and the D&H each donated half of this block to the borough for a public square.

A story in The Philadelphia Times in 1879 featured the tales of a legendary hunter from Preston, northern Wayne County, Phineas "Fin" Teeple, then 75. Before Honesdale was established, Teeple said where Honesdale's park was created, there was a "dense wilderness" where he killed "deer, bear and elk."

The park property was deeded for one dollar to the chief burgess (mayor), assistant burgess and Honesdale Borough Council on May 1, 1833, by the D&H and Torrey. The borough had been incorporated in 1831. The deed requires that the property be for public enjoyment.

Borough officials, the deed states, "shall from time to time improve and ornament the said entire, hereby plot of ground in a progressive manner appropriate to its being a pleasant and ornamental public plot of ground and place for public resort." The deed further prohibits erecting or placing a building of any kind "unless it shall be some respectable and important public building."

In 1841, the county seat was transferred from Bethany to Honesdale and the original wooden courthouse was built two years later, facing the square on Third Street (renamed Court Street). Torrey and the D&H contributed the land.

Maple City

At first the public square was an empty field. Women in the town offered a fine public dinner in the park, if the men would take action to landscape the space.

Councilor James H. Sutton and Dennis Slocum of the canal company, with other volunteers, brought maple, elm and evergreen saplings from Indian Orchard to plant them in the new public square. The square was carefully designed with diagonal and straight angled paths, with a tree at each intersection. As the trees grew, they became too dense, and the grove was thinned out. The evergreens were the first to go, being considered "too somber," an article in the July 27, 1899, edition of the Honesdale newspaper the Herald stated.

The women followed it up with a memorable picnic. The growing enthusiasm led to 1,500 maple trees being planted by the borough throughout much of Honesdale in 1847. This earned the town's nickname as the "Maple City."

Grazing cows

At some point, a wooden fence with gates was erected around the perimeter. The earliest reference was found in the Wayne County Herald, dated in 1848.

It was common then for town residents to keep a family milking cow in a backyard barn or stable, also keeping a horse and buggy. An early borough ordinance prohibited allowing livestock to wander at will.

A Herald article dated Dec. 20, 1848, reported complaints over letting cows graze in the park. The unidentified writer related, "some 20 or 30 cows have been making incursions upon the place and have made sad havoc among the trees." Council was faulted with neglect; the writer advised nailing the gates shut.

The same column praised citizens for partly leveling the park and laying a gravel walk around the whole enclosure. Stone curbs and more gravel walkways were suggested, and keeping the fencing and posts some distance from the churches to prevent horses from being tied up and "destroying our walks."

"If this should be done as soon as the spring opened, we might, but with little care, within two or three years have a beautiful park, worthy of the town and its inhabitants," the writer penned.

The writer added, "There should also be a fountain in the center." This happened in 1879, when the fountain marking the nation's centennial in1876 was completed.

While expenses were understood as a hurdle for the borough, the writer remarked that there were many enterprising citizens who would contribute generously if someone took the lead.

The wooden fence was removed in 1885.

Croquet, anyone?

Croquet became a popular pastime in Honesdale's Public Square. "Baseball for the gentlemen, and croquet for mixed parties are the popular amusement nowadays," the Herald reported in August 1866. "The Public Square is almost daily enlivened by gay parties, and the clicking of the mallets and balls is becoming a very familiar sound."

Grass was being worn down by daily groups of croquet players, an 1868 Herald story said.

The game was still going strong in 1877. Speaking of Honesdale's park, the Carbondale Leader reported, "every evening when it doesn't rain several games may be seen progressing on their village green, beneath the leafy branches of the beautiful trees which decorate the park and make it so pleasant. These games are often played late into the evening by the light of torches and lamps.”

Part two will continue the history of Honesdale's Central Park, including the arrival of the Civil War monument and fountain.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Cows and croquet: A look at Honesdale's Central Park in the 1800s