32 Commercial St. Suite 2, Honesdale, PA 18431
"Hunt for Hidden History" Walking Tour
This QR code tour is dedicated as a gift to The Wayne County Historical Society in memory of Richard "Dick" Kreitner, a great friend who inspired my interest in local history and also the idea of keeping it alive by passing it on to generations. Dick once said, "tell your children and grandchildren how fun history is."
In today's times, where technology has seemed to have taken over, we are hopeful that including it in this program may make it exciting to the younger generation.
We have designed a "Hunt for Hidden History" walking tour and scavenger hunt that will provide exercise for your mind and body and a chance to enjoy the history of Honesdale. Pickup your FREE tour card at the Wayne County Visitors Center and get out and enjoy the "Birthplace of the American Railroad"
Thank you Mr. Kreitner for "setting the table" for us to feed our hunger for history!
Jeff Hiller
About Mr. Kreitner
About Mr. Kreitner.....
Dick, as he was universally known, was born in Honesdale on September 26, 1927, to Bernice and Louis O. "Doc" Kreitner, and grew up in Honesdale and Walton, New York. He graduated from Honesdale High School in 1945 and joined the U.S. Navy the next summer, being sworn in on V-J Day
After a year at Susquehanna University and another stint in the Navy, he returned to Honesdale and opened Kreitner's Restaurant on Tenth Street in 1954. Kreitner's remained a community landmark until it closed in 1987: everyone in town ate there, and half of the town now between the ages of forty and seventy worked there at one time or another. Younger readers will remember his column, "Kreitner's Cooking Corner," first in the Weekly Almanac and then in the Wayne Independent, in which he shared recipes from the restaurant, from his readers, and from the growing pile of eccentric cookbooks in his basement.
Besides the restaurant, he is best remembered for a life of community service, which for a time included elective office-he joined the Honesdale Borough Council in 1978 to 1982 and was elected Mayor for two terms, from 1982 to 1990, which ended only when he moved out of the borough-but which in one way or another was a great part of his life all his life. He was a lifelong member and an elder of the First Presbyterian Church; he was active with the Boy Scouts from the time he joined Troop 1 at eleven till days before he died, serving as Scoutmaster of Troop 1 for several years in the late 1960s and early 1970s and winning the Silver Beaver Award in 1977; he was, at last count, a twelve-gallon blood donor for the Red Cross; he was a sixty-year member of Protection Engine Company No. 3; and for many years he was active in Jaycees, the Masons, and the Shriners.
Carving his place into our hearts and history
His spare time, such as it was, was filled with music (church choir, Wayne Choralaires, Barbershoppers), the visual arts (he was an accomplished woodcarver, responsible for a number of well-known wooden eagles around town, and stained-glass craftsman), and local history.
He was active in the Wayne County Historical Society, earning their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and was the guiding force and until shortly before his death, he was the actual guide for the Old Stone Jail. The eagle, hand carved by Dick himself, that hung on the wall at Kreitner's restaurant was given to Jeff and Sue Hiller when they owned the Trackside Grill, by The Kreitner Family. After they sold the restaurant, The Hiller's donated it to The Wayne County Historical Society Museum where it can be enjoyed by visitors for generations.