BEACH LAKE, PA — The Delaware Highlands Conservancy has received $3,155.50 in grant funding from the Honesdale National Bank Foundation. The monies will support the restoration and rebuild of a perimeter fence for a small historic family cemetery on the conservancy’s Van Scott Nature Reserve property.
The historic cemetery dates to the mid-to-late 19th century and is the resting place of several members of the McIntire family, who first settled the property in 1835. The fence around the perimeter was in disrepair and in need of replacement, and thanks to the grant, the fence has now been completely rebuilt and restored.
The grant funding also supported the installation of an interpretive sign detailing the history of the McIntire family and of the Van Scott Nature Reserve property. The conservancy thanked the Wayne County Historical Society for providing genealogical and historical research.
The cemetery and interpretive sign are found along the upper Explorer Trail on the reserve if visitors would like to read more about the McIntire family and the history of the reserve, a former dairy farm. Trail maps are located at the trailhead kiosks and on the conservancy’s website at www.DelawareHighlands.org/vsnr.
The 144-acre reserve is open from sunrise to sunset every day and offers three miles of walking trails through the woods, wildflower meadows and wetlands.
For more information about the conservancy, call 570/226-3164 or 845/583-1010, or visit www.DelawareHighlands.org.