Thursday was an awesome day – marking the second annual Wayne-Pike Ambassadors Tour sponsored by the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau (PMVB) and PPL. Offering an all-day educational and historic tour of Wayne and Pike Counties, the program was most informative and also a lot of fun.

Guided by local historian and retired school principal, Tom Kennedy, and Wallenpaupack Visitors Center Manager, Keith Williams, the action-packed trip started with a stop at the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary and the Dorflinger Glass Museum in White Mills, PA. Museum Curator Hank Loftus coaxed history to life with his talk of Christian Dorflinger, whose glass factory was famous for producing some of the finest lead crystal in the country – even pieces used by President Abraham Lincoln. Who knew that sand, pot ash and lead oxide could combine to create such beautiful glass: sparkling stemware, kerosene lamp chimneys and punchbowls that seemed to all but dance in the lighting?

It was at the Columns Museum in Milford that President Lincoln’s name was once again mentioned – this time on a sad note – regarding the night of his death. Operated by the Pike County Historical Society, the museum claims to have the very flag used to cushion the President’s head following the fatal shot at the Ford’s Theater in 1865. A small derringer fills a nearby display case, similar to the one used to assassinate the 16th President.

A wealth of knowledge awaits at your local historical society.

Take the Wayne County Historical Society in Honesdale, for instance, which currently features the artwork of the late Howard Becker, detailed information on the Delaware & Hudson (D & H) Canal, not to mention the privilege of walking through an authentic passenger coach used by the gravity railroad, and the impressive, full-size replica of the Stourbridge Lion.

The maiden run of the Stourbridge Lion, the first steam locomotive to operate in the United States, was over three miles, from downtown Honesdale to downtown Seelyville and back again. Weighing in at more than five tons, it’s interesting to note it was found to be too heavy for its four-ton track. Sadly, the Lion never roared again. That was August 8, 1829.

“Sometimes we forget to look in the mirror and appreciate what we had, what we have, and what we could be,” Kennedy said.

Perhaps a Native-American, 18-foot, dugout canoe is right up your alley. Viewable at the PPL Environmental Learning Center, the well-preserved, man made canoe surfaced on Lake Wallenpaupack in 1955, following Hurricane Diane. Lake Wallenpaupack, by the way, is 13 miles long, boasts 52-miles of shoreline and is the 3rd largest lake in the state, after Pymatuning and Raystown lakes. Amazing that the canoe was found.

Do you love beautiful gardens? Then you absolutely must visit the Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford. As described by the U.S. Forest Service, “Grey Towers is the ancestral home of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service and twice Governor of Pennsylvania. Today, Grey Towers serves as a conservation education and leadership center, with programs that interpret the lives of the Pinchot family.” If you’ve not been there before, you’re in for a real treat. Be sure not to miss the Finger Bowl – an outdoor dining area built around a raised pool. Floating appetizers, anyone

Then there’s the Zane Grey Museum in Lackawaxen. To stand in the home of a man considered the father of the western novel, to envision him seated in his chair, feverishly writing about heroes and heroines, is beyond words.

When you get a chance, perhaps during your next visit to Woodloch, take a look around Wayne and Pike counties and all of the museums, historical societies, and points of interest. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.