The tiny village of Sherman lies at the very northernmost part of Scott Township, Wayne County. Originally called New Baltimore and renamed for General William Tecumseh Sherman, it was once a bustling center of industry, beginning with lumbering. During the rafting years as many as 100,000 board feet a day would pass through the village on its way to the Hale’s Eddy, NY, on Delaware River. It had its own post office from 1872 to 1928, and in 1872 New Baltimore was home to a Baptist church, carriage shop, post office, general store, tannery, school, blacksmith and mason shops, furniture factory and two sawmills.

In 1880 the Scott Chemical Co. opened an “acid factory,” producing acetate of lime, wood alcohol and charcoal. A flood devastated the village in 1889, when a dam broke and left five feet of water in the streets, and by the 1920 census the population had dropped to 12 families and one “old maid.” Although industry left the village long ago, Sherman is still celebrated as the home of the Fresh Air Fund, established by Rev. Willard Parsons in 1876.

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