PLEASANT MOUNT, PA — The Wayne County Commissioners and gathered dignitaries celebrated the opening of the Hankins Pond Park on Wednesday, October 28. 

Hankins Pond Park centers on Hankins Pond Dam, a historic structure built in the early 1830s as a reservoir for the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Later in its life, the pond was used to propagate trout for the Pleasant Mount State Fish Hatchery; it was drained in 2013. 

The dam was deemed a high-hazard dam, with significant potential for property damage and threat to life downstream were it to burst. Pennsylvania State planned to demolish the dam; the Wayne County Commissioners and other allies sought ways to preserve it as a historic landmark. 

The commissioners spent time and money testing whether the dam had enough structural integrity to hold water, said commissioner James Shook. “Unfortunately, those test results said it’s not possible. As beautiful as it is, it can’t hold water back; it just doesn’t have the structural integrity to do that.”

Ultimately, the coalition behind the dam’s preservation chose to install a causeway in the center of the dam, allowing water to flow through and for the rest of the dam to be preserved. 

The county will maintain the 109.7-acre property on which the dam is located as a public park. The park includes walking trails, a pavilion and an upgraded dirt and gravel entry road, as well as a walkway with railings on top of the dam and the causeway. 

Commissioners thanked the entire team that made the project possible, including design and construction partners locally as well as the county’s state representatives.