By 1757 Robert Land was living at Cushetunk on the Delaware, the earliest settlement in Wayne County, PA, as an employee of the Delaware Company. In 1763, Land was appointed justice of the peace. As the American quarrel with Great Britain escalated to revolution, Land remained loyal to the Crown and was soon hauled before the Peenpack Committee of Safety. Although he escaped from the committee, his family faced serious retaliation. Their home was burned twice, and Mrs. Land and their children eventually escaped to New York, then occupied by the British. Robert Land, on the other hand, was captured, imprisoned and eventually made his way to Canada, where the family was ultimately reunited. They became prosperous and well established; among their descendants are Charles Lindbergh and Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid Land Camera. The only member of the family to return to their old home was John Land, who in 1796 built the house on the Delaware, now recognized as the oldest surviving house in Wayne County.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society, 810 Main St., Honesdale, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, see WayneHistoryPA.org or call 570/253-3240.