The Canal and the Rails Spark the Growth of White Mills

— Transporting Glass to Customers —

Transportation was essential to the success of the Dorflinger glassmaking enterprise. With its location on the banks of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, White Mills was positioned to receive raw materials by canal boat. Finished goods could be sent out of the area. Canal boats, laden with anthracite coal, left Honesdale for 108-mile journey to the town of Rondout, New York, then to the Hudson River and on to New York City. Returning boats carried barrels of high-quality sand, lead oxide, and potash back to White Mills to be made into glass. The opening of the Jefferson Branch of the Erie Railway from Lackawaxen to Honesdale in 1868 provided another method of transporting products to market. Christian Dorflinger was one of several local investors in the railway. The former rail line is still used today for special passenger excursions and as a means of transport for several local industries.
(Inscription beside the image in the lower center) Transportation was valuable to many businesses, including the Honesdale Glass Works, in the village of Traceyville, which was on the D&H Canal two miles west of White Mills. Honesdale Glass Works operated from 1846 to 1902. During that time, from 1873 to 1881, it was a subsidiary of the Dorflinger Glass Works. Loading glass on the canal was not a difficult task, and the canal created access to the huge New York City market. During the winter, from about November to March, the canal was inoperable as it was drained to prevent freezing water from damaging the walls. Rafts took glass and other products to the Delaware River, then downstream to Philadelphia. According to John C. Dorflinger, "Dorflinger glass found its way to every state in the Union and abroad by way of all the different means of transportation then available—canal, gravity railroad, steam railroad, and horse and wagon."
(Inscription below the image in the upper right) The original locks of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company were 76 feet by 9 feet but were enlarged in 1850 to 100 feet by 15 feet. The tonnage that an individual boat could carry increased from 10 tons in 1828 to 40 tons in 1850.
(Inscription below the image in the lower right) It is believed that the original Erie Railroad Depot was built in 1848 when rail service began to White Mills. That depot burned in 1888 and was rebuilt in 1889. An addition, shown to the left in his photo taken around 1920 was later added.

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Show me all markers in:  Hawley, PA  |  Wayne County  |  18428  |  Pennsylvania  |  United States of America

The White Mills Community Trail
The White Mills Community Trail
Dorflinger Glass Works
Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass...
As the Company Prospered, So Did the Community.
When Christian Dorflinger Melded His Art with History...
Skills Passed Down through Generations...
There Was More to White Mills than Glass
Facts about the Delaware & Hudson Canal 1828-1898
Daniels Farmhouse, D&H Canal Park at Lock 31 Towpath Trail and Riverside Trail

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