White Mills in Wayne County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Canal and the Rails Spark the Growth of White Mills...

...Transporting Glass to Customers.

— The White Mills Community Trail —

The Canal and the Rails Spark the Growth of White Mills... Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 28, 2015

1. The Canal and the Rails Spark the Growth of White Mills... Marker

Inscription. Transportation was essential to the success of the Dorflinger glassmaking enterprise. With its location on the banks of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, White Mills was positioned to receive raw materials by canal boat. Finished goods could be sent out of the area. Canal boats, laden with anthracite coal, left Honesdale for 108-mile journey to the town of Rondout, New York, then to the Hudson River and on to New York City. Returning boats carried barrels of high-quality sand, lead oxide, and potash back to White Mills to be made into glass. The opening of the Jefferson Branch of the Erie Railway from Lackawaxen to Honesdale in 1868 provided another method of transporting products to market. Christian Dorflinger was one of several local investors in the railway. The former rail line is still used today for special passenger excursions and as a means of transport for several local industries.

(Inscription beside the image in the lower center)
Transportation was valuable to many businesses, including the Honesdale Glass Works, in the village of Traceyville, which was on the D&H Canal two miles west of White Mills. Honesdale

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Glass Works operated from 1846 to 1902. During that time, from 1873 to 1881, it was a subsidiary of the Dorflinger Glass Works. Loading glass on the canal was not a difficult task, and the canal created access to the huge New York City market. During the winter, from about November to March, the canal was inoperable as it was drained to prevent freezing water from damaging the walls. Rafts took glass and other products to the Delaware River, then downstream to Philadelphia. According to John C. Dorflinger, “Dorflinger glass found its way to every state in the Union and abroad by way of all the different means of transportation then available—canal, gravity railroad, steam railroad, and horse and wagon.”

(Inscription below the image in the upper right)
The original locks of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company were 76 feet by 9 feet but were enlarged in 1850 to 100 feet by 15 feet. The tonnage that an individual boat could carry increased from 10 tons in 1828 to 40 tons in 1850.

(Inscription below the image in the lower right)
It is believed that the original Erie Railroad Depot was built in 1848 when rail service

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 28, 2015

2. The Canal and the Rails Spark the Growth of White Mills... Marker

This marker is the marker on the left of the two markers.

began to White Mills. That depot burned in 1888 and was rebuilt in 1889. An addition, shown to the left in his photo taken around 1920 was later added.

Erected by Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary, Lackawanna Heritage Valley, DCNR, Lackawanna Wonderful, and National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 41° 31.558′ N, 75° 12.181′ W. Marker is in White Mills, Pennsylvania, in Wayne County. It is on Main Street (US 6-Texas Palmyra Hwy). The marker is next to the 1911 White Mills Firehouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: White Mills PA 18473, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee

1911 White Mills Firehouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 28, 2015

3. 1911 White Mills Firehouse

(Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Watching Over Their Livelihood and Their Homes (here, next to this marker); From Alsace, France to White Mills... (a few steps from this marker); Dorflinger Glass Works (within shouting distance of this marker); Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass... (within shouting distance of this marker); As the Company Prospered, So Did the Community. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); When Christian Dorflinger Melded His Art with History... (about 400 feet away); Skills Passed Down through Generations... (about 400 feet away); There Was More to White Mills than Glass (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in White Mills.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2017. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 476 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 9, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.