Looking Back 2/15

ANN O'HARA
Posted 2/14/18

Milanville is one of the most historically significant communities in the Delaware River Valley, the center of the Cushetunk Settlement, established ca. 1755 by the Delaware Company. While the …

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Looking Back 2/15

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Milanville is one of the most historically significant communities in the Delaware River Valley, the center of the Cushetunk Settlement, established ca. 1755 by the Delaware Company. While the original settlement was destroyed during the Revolution, many of the original settlers returned after the war. Lumbering/rafting was the first industry, followed by tanning and “acid factories.”

The Milanville Historic District was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The Nathan Skinner House (1815), the Volney Skinner House (ca. 1840) and the Eli Beach house (ca. 1840) are the oldest surviving structures in the district. The Skinners were among the original settlers and made their mark in lumbering and rafting; Daniel Skinner was the first man to take a raft down the Delaware before the Revolution. Eli

Beach was the major tannery owner, and the Milanville Store (ca. 1850) was the company store for Beach’s Rock Glen Tannery, later known as Eli Beach & Sons. Few traces of Milanville’s industrial past survive, but the gracious homes of the owners remain.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society, 810 Main St., Honesdale. The museum and research library are open Friday and Saturday, 10 a. m. to 4 p. m.

Milanville

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