Monroe County Historical Association

*V is for Victory* During World War I, American artist Clyde Forsythe was recruited by the Committee on Public Information's Division of Pictorial Publicity to create a number of war propaganda posters, including his famous "And They Thought We Couldn't Fight" poster. This 1918 poster, which was created for the Victory Liberty Loan drive, features a wounded American soldier celebrating his victory over the Germans and carrying three German helmets as souvenirs. This poster wa...s thought to be a retort to German underestimation of American military strength. When the United States entered World War I, it was decided to finance the war through a mix of new taxes and borrowing from the general public. The borrowing effort was called the Liberty Loan and was made operational through the sale of Liberty Bonds. The loan drives were the subject of the greatest advertising effort ever conducted, ultimately helping the Treasury raise more than $17 billion by the end of the war. The emotional advertising campaign effectively produced a broad and strong desire to do one’s part for the war effort, leading 20 million individuals to purchase bonds. "And They Thought We Couldn't Fight" is in our museum collection and is on display in the #StroudMansion. #MCHAtoZ #MuseumAlphabet #WWI #PropagandaPoster

We won’t let a little bad weather stop us from having a great time at the Monroe Farmers Market this morning! Please join us at the corner of 7th and Monroe Streets in Courthouse Square for some free local history books and DVDs and a fun children’s activity. #FarmersMarket #RainyDayFun #MonroeCountyPA

Please join us at the Monroe Farmers Market tomorrow, May 29, from 8 a.m. until noon in Courthouse Square! In addition to the market's wonderful selection of fresh produce and specialty products from local farmers, MCHA staff and volunteers will be there with some farm-related artifacts and photographs from our collection, as well as a fun children's activity. We hope you'll stop by to see us, rain or shine! In this 1901 photograph, the Van Vliet family and workers are harves...ting onions on their farm in East Stroudsburg. The man with long whiskers standing left of center is John Wesley Van Vliet, while his wife Henrietta (Rau) Van Vliet is seated to the left of him. John's son Harry Jerome Van Vliet is standing with his arms crossed, and Harry's wife Laura (Detrick) Van Vliet is seated at the far right. #FarmersMarket #FamilyFarm #BuyLocal #MonroeCountyPA See more

The unofficial start to the summer travel season kicks off tomorrow with #NationalRoadTripDay. Since the earliest days of automobiles, Americans have been drawn to the adventure of a good road trip. Many of these travelers have chosen the Poconos as their destination, such as this family from Maryland. They arrived at the Skytop Lodge in style in this 1934 photograph from our collection. #RoadTrip #PierceArrow #PierceArrowSilverArrow #ClassicCars #BarrettTownship #MonroeCountyPA

Are you planning a trip out of town this holiday weekend? Travelers are preparing to board the stagecoach from Stroudsburg to Lehighton in this 1908 photograph from our collection. Adam Buck is the driver, while Verna Miller is pictured 2nd from left and Sue Gearhart is 3rd from left. #stagecoach #MonroeCountyPA

This photograph from our collection features a scene in front of Trach's Hotel in Tannersville, where a horse and buggy awaits its passengers and children gather in the foreground. The hotel was located on present day Route 611 just past Old Mill Road, where CVS now stands. Pocono Township #MonroeCountyPA

Please join us online next Thursday, May 20, at 7 p.m. for the first program of our 2021 Third Thursday Lecture Series! Archaeologist Jessica Reitz, division manager of the museum experience department at the Carnegie Science Center, will give her presentation, "Ancient Egypt through the Eyes of a Modern Archaeologist." Ms. Reitz will discuss the importance of Ancient Egypt and the culture it created. Using major archaeological finds, Ms. Reitz will examine some of the issues modern archaeologists have with past scientists. Some of the questions she will address are how the sites were excavated, whether they were done by modern standards, and how far the study has come. Please click the link below to register for this free event. After you register, you will receive an email confirmation with the link to access the Zoom webinar.

Our tour of Pennsylvania historical markers concludes this week with the marker commemorating... Monroe County! Dedicated in 1983, the marker is located on the corner of 7th and Monroe Streets, next to the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg. Congratulations to Matthew Bush for being the first with the correct identification! The inscription reads, "Monroe County. Formed April 1, 1836 out of Northampton and Pike counties. Named for President James Monroe. Site of Indian raids, 1755-82, and of a segment of Sullivan's March. Pocono Mountains famed as a resort area. County seat, Stroudsburg, was incorporated in 1815." #MysterySolved #HistoricalMarker #MonroeCountyPA

Elizabeth French Ramsey (1894-1976) was born in Mountainhome and was a graduate of Barrett High School. In 1917, she received her registered nurse degree from the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing and became one of the original 64 nurses of the Army Nurse Corps of the Pennsylvania Hospital who served in France during WWI. She served from 1917 to 1919 at the U.S. Army Base Hospital Number 10 of the American Expeditionary Force. While in France, Elizabeth met and married 2nd Lieutenant Lawrence Ramsey, a field artillery officer from Stroudsburg. After the war, these local veterans returned to Monroe County to live and raise their daughter, Christine. #NationalNursesWeek #MilitaryAppreciationMonth #BarrettTownship #MonroeCountyPA

Located on River Road near the Smithfield Beach access, 3 miles northeast of Shawnee, this week's #MysteryMonday historical marker commemorates Smithfield Church. The inscription reads, "Believed to be the first of four early churches built by Dutch Settlers, it stood below the road toward the river. The log structure housed the Dutch Reformed congregation until it moved to the Old Stone Church in Shawnee ca. in 1752." The first church in Smithfield Township PA was the Dutch ...Reformed Church (also known as the Old Log Church), which was organized in 1737. The Presbyterian Meeting House (also known as The Old Stone Church) was built in 1753 by Nicholas DePui, Samuel DePui and Abraham Van Kampen. The church welcomed all protestant denominations, including Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, German Reformed and Baptist congregations. After a century, The Old Stone Church became dilapidated, and in 1853, the present brick structure of the Shawnee Church was erected on the original foundation. #MysterySolved #MonroeCountyPA See more

We have another PA historical marker for this week's #MysteryMonday challenge. Do you know which person, place, or event it commemorates? Post your best guesses and check back tomorrow for the correct answer. #GuessingGame #HistoricalMarker #MonroeCountyPA