FREYTOWN
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FREYTOWN |
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NAME: Freytown COUNTY: Lackawanna ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: Snow in winter, hot and shady in summer, overgrowth in early spring to early fall BEST TIME TO VISIT: Early Spring/Summer & Early Fall/Winter |
COMMENTS:
There are no current residents. All the homes were moved to Spring Garden Road in Moscow, Pennsylvania and are occupied by owners (have been in one of the homes since it belongs to a cousin and is beautiful).
Freytown Road also has the cemetery up from the road to the town. The trek is about 10 minutes up the road, you will cross some water in the road and parts of brick. It's very scenic and you can find apple trees along the way. By the section of town you will find parts of the land dug up from logging years ago (now left behind) and parts of the land is muddy and very treacherous, so remain on the road until you see an opening (there is twisted iron wiring near the entrance). Walk in and to your left is a deep hole (this is a foundation to a home at one time). As you near, I found some remnants of glass bottles and other trinkets that someone or something dug up (have pictures of the bottles). Up pass the hole and further to the left is a small stone marker (don't know if its a house marker or a child's burial marker). Above there is another flat foundation that you can stand on (very cool to do).
At one time you could see the houses and log mill from Freytown Road but with 20 some years passed, nothing remains.
Additional Directions: From the Post Office in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania - travel East over the railroad tracks over a small bridge, make first left hand turn onto Lehigh Road. Travel Lehigh for about 3 miles and turn right onto a small dirt road. There is a weight limit sign for a bridge at the beginning of the road. ½ mile up the road you will see an old barn on the right and another ½ mile further you will come to a Horse riding stable. That road should be gated off straight ahead, so please make the left. Go another ½ mile and you will see an old dirt road/trail on the right. Park there and please make sure that your car is off the road, police ask hunters and other visitors to keep their vehicles off the road as best as possible.
As you face the gate, go to the left around the gate and go about 10 minutes to Freytown.
As for the Cemetery, go up the hill 100 yards and on the right you will find it. REMAINS: Foundations, some brick remnants on the road, streams, glass bottles, iron wiring, apple trees |
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Last person to live in Freytown was about 1950. The town was to be flooded by the local reservoir and then wasn't due to a cemetery in the vicinity. Not much is known about the town, I have contacted some residents and older family members and will have to add more info later. Submitted by: Danielle N. Shaffer From :G. Elllis Miller from the North Pocono Library. Buildings included in the town were: a dozen or so houses, a church, a graveyard, a couple of sawmills, a brush block factory, a lumber camp, a post office, Norman English’s brickyard and a schoolhouse. The town came into existence in 1830 when John and Susanna Frey came from Monroe County, PA to start a farm in the wilderness. By 1900, several families lived here, such as the Sayers, Leaders, Stalbirds, Ames, Bakers, Haines, Shafers and the Walls. By 1909 one family remained, Charles H. Schreck and his wife Rosie. Mr. Schreck died on March 17, 1953 and Rosie became “mayor of Freytown”. Rosie was born in Hamlin, PA on April 18, 1877. She was the daughter of Ralph Ames (1847 – 1917) and his wife Mary (Jones) Ames (1857 – 1925). In 1881 the family moved to Gas Hollow, near Jericho, Wayne County, to work for the Winters and Ball Manufacturing Company, who built a factory and sawmill. In 1882, a road was built from Freytown Corners down a steep hill into Gas Hollow to connect with the Jericho Road. On January 27, 1883 the first wagon passed over this road to take equipment to the Winters and Ball factory. At this time there was several houses and a store at Gas Hollow to accommodate the mill laborers. The mill was eventually destroyed by fire and other buildings disappeared and the road washed out beyond repair by a hurricane some years later. The road is now closed at Freytown Corners. Charles H. Schreck, native of Freytown, worked for Winters and Ball in 1885 and started construction of his home at the same time. His home was completed in March of 1898. On March 28, 1900 he married Miss Laura Rosanna Ames (Rosie) and set up at the new home. After the fire destroyed the mill in Gas Hollow, he became a farmer. He was well known in Moscow and Gouldsboro where he sold butter Rosie churned, weighed and wrapped. Freytown was wiped off county maps by the sale of lands to the Scranton Gas and Water Company. Most of the farmers moved to Moscow, Elmhurst, Madisonville and Hollisterville. Rosie died on February 13, 1968 and her home was torn down and replaced by the home of William Bentler.
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