Hickory Run Cemetery
Hickory Run State Park, PA
Hickory Run State Park, PA
In 1838, the Upper Grand Section of the Lehigh Canal was completed on the Lehigh River and ushered in the boom time for the region. Enterprising men like David Saylor and Isaac and Stephen Gould erected mills on the streams. In 1839, there were six mills on Hickory Run and two mills on Mud Run, then called Muddy Run. A town arose on the banks of Hickory Run and boasted one of the earliest post offices in the county.
A stagecoach road between Allentown and Wilkes-Barre was built through the area and the town of Saylorsville arose, just upstream of Hickory Run. The hotel in town could sleep 150 people. The road has become Stage Trail, and foundations are all that remain of the town.
Loggers clear-cut the forests but did no replanting, which contributed to flooding. In 1849, several dams broke on Hickory Run, flooding the towns of Saylorsville and Hickory Run. At least seven people died and most were buried in the small cemetery near the park office. The blacksmith, Jacob West, lost four of his children and his wife, yet survived them for 40 years until being buried alongside them.
The flood, one of many, only slowed the removal of the trees. Forest fires became a problem on the cleared land. In 1875, the Great Fire began near Mud Run and smoldered for several days before sweeping north to Monroe County. The fire destroyed many mills and houses and damaged cut and standing timber. The population began to dwindle.
The park office, the Manor House, a residence, a barn and the Chapel are all structures that remain from the old town of Hickory Run. Other traces of the town include a cemetery, foundations and roads.
Little is known of the time between the 1890s and 1918. Forest fires raged and floods carried away the soil. Not since the glacier had the land been so devastated.
A stagecoach road between Allentown and Wilkes-Barre was built through the area and the town of Saylorsville arose, just upstream of Hickory Run. The hotel in town could sleep 150 people. The road has become Stage Trail, and foundations are all that remain of the town.
Loggers clear-cut the forests but did no replanting, which contributed to flooding. In 1849, several dams broke on Hickory Run, flooding the towns of Saylorsville and Hickory Run. At least seven people died and most were buried in the small cemetery near the park office. The blacksmith, Jacob West, lost four of his children and his wife, yet survived them for 40 years until being buried alongside them.
The flood, one of many, only slowed the removal of the trees. Forest fires became a problem on the cleared land. In 1875, the Great Fire began near Mud Run and smoldered for several days before sweeping north to Monroe County. The fire destroyed many mills and houses and damaged cut and standing timber. The population began to dwindle.
The park office, the Manor House, a residence, a barn and the Chapel are all structures that remain from the old town of Hickory Run. Other traces of the town include a cemetery, foundations and roads.
Little is known of the time between the 1890s and 1918. Forest fires raged and floods carried away the soil. Not since the glacier had the land been so devastated.
October 1st
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Date: 10/1
Time: 11:30am Duration of Investigation: 20 minutes Solar Activity: n/a Moon phase: Waxing moon; 48.21% full Temperature: Low 70s Weather: Sunny Humidity: Low |
Equipment:
Two digital recorders emf detector ghost box samsung video camera |
History/ Background Information:
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Results
Photos |
EVPSAs for our policy, all cemetery evps will be posted in their own section.
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VideosNo video evidence at this location
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Personal Experience
No personal experience at this location
It’s said that the ghost of a little girl named Lizzie Gould is sometimes seen walking the road or heard playing amongst the graves.
