Honesdale
Birthplace of American Railroading · Est. 1831
Honesdale is a borough in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
Honesdale at a Glance
Source - U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024.
About Honesdale
Honesdale is the county seat of Wayne County, settled in 1826 as Dyberry Forks and incorporated as a borough on January 28, 1831. It is named for Philip Hone, a former mayor of New York City and president of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company.
The town was built as the western terminus of the 108-mile Delaware and Hudson Canal, which carried anthracite coal toward the Hudson River and New York City. A gravity railroad brought the coal over the mountains from the mines near Carbondale to the canal boats at Honesdale.
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On August 8, 1829, the Stourbridge Lion made its trial run at Honesdale, the first full-size steam locomotive to operate on a commercial track in the United States, though it proved too heavy for the wooden rails and never entered service. That run earned the town its title as the Birthplace of American Railroading. Honesdale also sat within Wayne County's noted cut-glass region. Today it is a county-seat town with a historic Main Street, about 32 road miles east-northeast of Scranton, mixing full-time residents with regional tourism.
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