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The Pocono's Best spot to relax and
play...
 In the late
18th Century, pioneers moving west through these woodlands found a place
where three creeks converged. They settled here at what eventually
would be
Lake Wallenpaupack, built a sawmill,
and eventually rafting lumber down the
Lackawaxen and
Delaware to Philadelphia.
The first child of the settlement was born in 1812; the first store opened
in 1827; the following year the
Delaware & Hudson Canal, running from
Honesdale to New York, was completed, and
anthracite coal began moving on
barges along towpaths through Hawley to New York markets.
From the 1840's to the 1860's the
Lake Wallenpaupack area
experienced great prosperity. The Pennsylvania Coal Company completed a
gravity railroad as another route to connect coal mines to the canals.
People were employed at the transfer docks, in train car and repair shops,
storehouses, and other places needed for business. At first the town was
known as Paupack Eddy. It was renamed Falls Port, then Hawleysburgh, in
honor of Irad Hawley, the first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company.
Finally in 1851, the name was shortened to its present name,
Hawley.
With the arrival in 1865 of the
Erie Railroad,
the canal and gravity railroad declined in use. The basin of the canal
system was filled in and became a playing field. In 1929 the Albert W.
Bingham family donated it to the borough as a park which bears the family
name. Other industries succeeded
Lake Wallenpaupack's
and Hawley's lumber and coal beginnings,
including fine cut glass and silk and textile mills.
Another cycle of growth and prosperity began for
this community in 1925. In that year, the
Pennsylvania Power & Light
Company dammed the
Wallenpaupack Creek for hydroelectric power and created
the largest man made lake in the state.
Lake Wallenpaupack
was born. Hawley's back yard became a new
resource for recreational and business opportunities which continue today.
We invite you to explore the town of
Hawley and experience the spirit and
legacy we are working to preserve.
 LAKE WALLENPAUPACK
Prior to 1926, only a stream flowed through the
area that is now
Lake Wallenpaupack.
Leni - Lenape
Indians named it "Wallenpaupack" which means "The Stream of Swift and Slow
Water". The land at one time was owned by
William Penn who deeded it to
his son, and then to James Wilson, one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Wilsonville; the site of PPL Companies Hydroelectric Dam, and at one time
the county seat of
Wayne County, was named for James Wilson.
The first step in the plan to construct a dam
was purchasing land from about 100 owners. Land values at that time were
about $20 an acre. Farms, barns, houses, sheds, and other buildings were
either razed or moved. Trees were cut and 17 miles of road along with
telephone and telegraph poles were re-routed beyond the 52 mile shoreline.
A cemetery was also relocated. A dike was erected near Tafton to complete
the Lake bed, and a stream was temporarily diverted while the dam was
built. Construction started early in 1924 and 2,700 men worked nearly 2
years to complete the project. It included the dam, the power plant, and
the giant wooden flow line to carry the water from the Lake to the plant
location 3 1/2 miles away. The original wooden structure, one of the worlds
largest pipelines at that time, was constructed from 5 million board feet of
douglas fir and transported by ship from the state of Washington.
 The Wallenpaupack 44,000 KW power plant was
constructed simultaneously with the dam and put into service in 1926. The
plant increased PPL's system generating capacity approximately 25% in
1926. It's system-wide generating capacity, when the plant went on line,
was only about 225,000 KW.
Lake Wallenpaupack
offers four seasons of endless fun and a
tremendous variety of diversions, from outdoor adventure to family
attractions. Lake Wallenpaupack is famous for its resorts, natural scenic
beauty, and the quaint, historical towns in the four county area.
Combined with its unique cultural heritage, "The Lake Region" is the
favorite four-season playground in Northeastern Pennsylvania featuring:
- Amazing outdoor recreation including skiing, snowboarding, snow
tubing, hiking, fishing, boating, water parks, & family play parks
- A wide variety of lodging to suit every travel & vacation style
including families, campers & honeymooners
- Unique shops, dining, family attractions & events year-round
- Outstanding meeting, conference, group & motor-coach facilities
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Lake Wallenpaupack