The Fountain Honesdale Built With Its Own Hands
Walk to the center of Honesdale and you will find, in Central Park, a fountain with four numerals cut into its stone: 1776, Memorial, 1876. It is easy to pass without a second look. But that fountain is one of the clearest civic lessons the town has to offer, because of how it came to be there.
When the United States marked its 100th birthday in 1876, the celebration in Washington and Philadelphia was national in scale. In Honesdale, a group of local women decided the anniversary deserved a permanent marker in their own square, and then they built it themselves. Organized as the Ladies' Centennial Fountain Association, they spent roughly three years raising the money one neighbor at a time: dollar subscriptions, food sales, sponsored lectures and plays, until they had gathered the eleven…
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Did You Know?
- 1. Honesdale is widely recognized as the birthplace of the American railroad. The Stourbridge Lion made its historic run here on August 8, 1829.
- 2. The town is named for Philip Hone, a former mayor of New York City who led the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. Honesdale is the seat of Wayne County, established in 1798.
- 3. Highlights for Children, one of the most widely read children's magazines in American history, was founded in Honesdale in 1946.
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Principle of the Quarter
The government closest to the people serves the people best.— Thomas Jefferson (paraphrased from multiple writings on local governance)
The Founders believed that the government closest to the people governs best. Your city council knows your potholes. Your school board knows your children. Washington does not. Local self-government isn't just efficient — it's where citizens actually practice democracy, face to face, neighbor to neighbor.
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Your Local Government
- • Honesdale Borough Council sets the borough budget, streets, and ordinances, and meets the fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Borough Hall, 958 Main Street.
- • The Wayne Highlands School Board controls school budgets, curriculum, and facilities for Honesdale-area students and meets in the district board room on Grove Street.
- The three Wayne County Commissioners oversee the county budget, courts, roads, and emergency services from the Court House in Honesdale.
