Greeley, Pennsylvania facts for kids
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Greeley is a small town in Pike County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It's located about halfway between the towns of Milford and Hawley. About 1,322 people live there. You might have heard of Lake Greeley Camp, which is a summer camp named after this town and is right on Lake Greeley.
Greeley is a very natural place with lots of trees and no main town square. It's mostly known for its many summer camps and large areas of state game lands. Some popular summer camps for kids and teens from nearby states include Camp Shohola, Pine Forest Camp, Lake Greeley Camp, Camp Timber Tops, and Lake Owego Camp. There's also Camp Lee Mar, a special camp in Greeley for children and young adults with special needs, which has been open for over 60 years.
Even though it's called a town, Greeley is actually managed by the nearby area of Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania. Lackawaxen is where the Delaware River and the Lackawaxen River meet. A famous writer of Western stories, Zane Grey, started his writing career in Lackawaxen. He wrote about his adventures along the Upper Delaware River.
Who Was Greeley Named After?
Greeley is named after a very important person named Horace Greeley. He was born in 1811 and passed away in 1872. Horace Greeley started a newspaper called The New York Tribune. This newspaper was one of the most important in the United States from the 1840s to the 1870s.
Horace Greeley also worked in politics. He was a US Congressman for three months. He also helped start a group called the Liberal Republican Party. In 1872, he was the candidate for president for this party in the 1872 United States presidential election.
The Sylvania Association
Horace Greeley supported a special community project called the Sylvania Association. This group was like a rural commune, which is a place where people live and work together. It was located within the area that is now Greeley. Horace Greeley even helped out as the Treasurer for this group.
The Sylvania Association tried to organize itself based on some unique ideas. These ideas came from Albert Brisbane, who had studied the thoughts of thinkers like Charles Fourier and Karl Marx.
In 1842, the association bought about 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) of land. They built a small saw mill, two small two-story houses, and a small barn. Today, only the foundation of the old mill remains. Some of its walls are still over twenty feet tall! You can still see this old mill wall next to a stream near a historical marker. It's located where Routes 434 and 590 meet.
The Sylvania Association didn't last very long. It failed in 1845 because the people living there were not used to living in the wilderness. They didn't plant and harvest enough food to support themselves.
Greeley Today
Greeley is still a mostly rural and mountainous area. It sits between the slightly busier towns of Hawley and Milford. Many people who own second homes are drawn to Greeley because of its beautiful scenery and quiet way of life.
Route 590 runs through the town. This road is very popular with motorcycle riders. They often travel on it from nearby Lake Wallenpaupack to the Delaware River, which is about three miles away. Another important road, U.S. Route 6, also goes through Greeley.
In 2013, a company called Kahr Arms announced that it was moving its business from New York state. They decided to move because of a law in New York called the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act (NY SAFE Act) of 2013. Kahr Arms bought 620 acres of land near Greeley in Blooming Grove Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania. They planned to build offices in 2014 and a new factory by 2019, moving their main staff there.
