Today the tiny town of Sherman in Scott Township, Wayne County, PA, is best known as the birthplace of the Fresh Air Fund. Originally named New Baltimore by its first storekeeper, Hallock Early, in 1854, it was renamed in honor of the famed Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman when the first post office was opened in 1876. New Baltimore/Sherman was a center of the forest-related industries in Wayne County—lumbering, tanneries and acid factories. In 1877, Rev. Willard Parsons, minister of the Sherman Presbyterian Church, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations for New York City’s neediest children. The movement grew so fast that in 1881 Rev. Parsons secured the support of The New York Tribune, and the Fresh Air Fund was incorporated. Since 1877 the Fresh Air Fund has benefited more than 1.8 million children.

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.