Wayne County Historical Society & Museum | Local heritage & railroad history in Honesdale
Wayne County Historical Society & Museum in Honesdale preserves the vibrant past of the Pocono Mountains region through exhibits, archives and historic structures. As the home of a full-size replica of the Stourbridge Lion—the first locomotive to run on commercial tracks in the United States—the museum brings industrial history to life. Visitors can learn how Honesdale became a key part of America’s early rail and canal systems.
The museum is housed in a former 1860 Delaware & Hudson Canal Company building, once a hub for the D&H Gravity Railroad. This railroad carried anthracite coal from Lackawanna County to Honesdale, where it connected to the D&H Canal for transport to the Hudson River. Visitors can walk through the adjoining Marjorie Smith Glass Gallery, which links to the historic Jason Torrey land office, and explore four additional museum buildings designed to showcase growing collections.
The Research Library provides access to rare documents, genealogical records and more than 12,000 digitized photographs. It features books, microfilm, family files and a modern ViewScan III reader for in-depth research.
Wayne County Historical Society & Museum is a valuable cultural destination preserving regional history in Honesdale.
