In 1846, Jacob Faatz, a member of the pioneer glassmaking family in Wayne County, founded The Tracyville Glass Works alongside the Delaware & Hudson Canal about two miles east of Honesdale (now part of Honesdale Borough). The canal provided convenient transportation to the lucrative New York City market. Carley Brook generated water power for the factory as it rushed downstream toward the Lackawaxen River from a dammed feeder pond for the canal.

Unfortunately for Jacob Faatz, in 1848 a neighbor’s brush fire raged out of control and the Tracyville Glass Works was totally destroyed. Although attempts were made to rebuild, Faatz eventually lost the company in a sheriff’s sale. The new owner, James Brookfield, renamed the factory The Honesdale Anthracite Glass Company, signifying a switch from wood to coal in the glass-making process; coal was plentiful and less expensive. In 1856, the company became the Honesdale Glass Works, which survived until 1861, when the upstream dam broke and totally destroyed the factory. From 1873 to 1901 the Honesdale Glass Company, owned by a group headed by Christian Dorflinger, occupied the site.

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