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HONESDALE — Nestled just south of the center of Wayne County, Honesdale has all the charm of a small Pennsylvania borough but all the amenities of a big city. The county seat with volumes of history to boast, Honesdale is becoming a confluence of deep roots and progressive ideas.

The Irving Cliff Brewery, Northeast Wilderness Experience and the Cooperage Project are just three of the institutions bringing excitement and culture to Honesdale, and all three can provide both sources of entertainment and recreation as well as insight into the history of the town.

Brian Cobb, owner of the Irving Cliff Brewery, licensed his operation in 2014 after 25 years in the screen printing supply business. The brewery offers 13 varieties, a full kitchen and dining room to accompany a handcrafted wooden bar.

Much of Cobb’s inspiration for the place came from the original Irving Cliff Brewery built into the side of Irving Cliff in 1851. History dictates that Washington Irving would sit on the cliff above Honesdale and conceptualize stories like “The Legend of Sleep Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.”

Cobb has dedicated his business to making beer in old fashioned ways and naming his varieties after important figures from the past.

“We have a really primitive kind of system, put together like it might have been in the old days,” Cobb said.

At the base of Irving Cliff sits a series of lagering caves where beer was stored with ice from regional lakes prior to the advent of refrigeration. The Irving Cliff caves have a natural spring running through them and Cobb uses only Fox Ledge spring water to brew his beer.

“That’s where I got the idea to not use city water but to go with spring water, just to try to make our beer more traditional,” Cobb said. “It has minerals and the correct water profile to brew really good beers.”

With the hard work of 28-year-old brewmaster Peter Seeuwen, Irving Cliff has been an immediate success. Rip’s Purple Magic, a Belgian wheat brewed with raspberry and blueberry flavors, is named after the liquor that put Rip Van Winkle to sleep in the original version of Irving’s story and the beer recently took the top prize at the Pocono Beer Festival, among names like Magic Hat and Samuel Adams.

“It’s pretty surprising but very cool,” Seeuwen said.

While the brewery is a great place to eat and drink, Saw Mill Cycles and Northeast Wilderness Experience can provide outdoor recreation. Dan Corrigan, owner of both, rents and sells bikes and kayaks through Saw Mill and leads guided tours through NEWE.

Born and raised in Honesdale, Corrigan knows the town’s history and frequently leads walks through the downtown area as well as up to Irving Cliff, educating his patrons as they excercise.

For $15, a patron can rent a bike and be provided with maps and suggestions on historical sites. For $50, a patron can take a guided kayak tour down the Delaware River, be provided lunch and a train ride back to Honesdale on the newly up and running Stourbridge Line.

Other programs include climbing and repelling, mountain biking, snow shoeing and camping on the Delaware. Corrigan enjoys taking people to Irving Cliff and talking about the Irving Cliff Hotel, a grand, 125-room lodging facility that burned to the ground before it had a single customer.

“There’s a lot that Honesdale as a town has to offer, historically and recreationally,” Corrigan said. “We’re really working on developing a lot of that recreation and awareness of it.”

For less physically demanding entertainment, The Cooperage Project is a non-profit venue for community and arts programs. Founder Pennell Whitney bought the barrel-making factory from the 1870s and refurbished it for a thoughtful mission.

“The mission of the Cooperage Project is to bring people together,” said employee Allaina Propst. “We think that a strong community is built on strong relationships. There is something for everyone here, not necessarily every day, but there is something quite often.”

The Cooperage holds artistic performances, musical and theatrical, “Good Times/Good Works” sessions, which include game nights and open mics, a farmers market on Saturdays in the fall and winter and Wednesdays in the spring and summer, and do-it-yourself learning programs like mending clothing and making sausage.

“We have been lucky enough to get the support of a large part of the community,” Whitney said. “We get grants from local organizations, and we feel fortunate that an idea that a small group of people had has become a vibrant part of the community.”

Propst is poised to become the second brewery owner in Honesdale. She plans to open Here & Now in the summer, and hopes to have beer and small plates ready to serve by then. Both she and Cobb are excited about being a two-brewery town.

Lodging in Honesdale includes several bed and breakfast establishments in the downtown area as well as the Hotel Wayne, a Honesdale institution since 1827. For a permanent piece of history, a visit to the Wayne County Historical Society holds a replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the first steam engine to run in the United States.

A group of kayakers takes a guided excursion with Northeast Wilderness Experience.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_NEWE-1.jpg.optimal.jpgA group of kayakers takes a guided excursion with Northeast Wilderness Experience. Submitted photo

Patrons are seen through the fireplace near the entrance of Irving Cliff Brewery in Honesdale.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale1-2.jpg.optimal.jpgPatrons are seen through the fireplace near the entrance of Irving Cliff Brewery in Honesdale. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Brian Cobb pours beer during lunch hour at his establishment, Irving Cliff Brewery, in Honesdale.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale2-2.jpg.optimal.jpgBrian Cobb pours beer during lunch hour at his establishment, Irving Cliff Brewery, in Honesdale. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Brian Cobb gives a background on how the first Irving Cliff Brewery began during the 1800s in Honesdale.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale3-2.jpg.optimal.jpgBrian Cobb gives a background on how the first Irving Cliff Brewery began during the 1800s in Honesdale. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Dan Corrigan, tour guide, gives a brief history on the small town of Honesdale while sitting at the bar in Irving Cliff Brewery.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale4-2.jpg.optimal.jpgDan Corrigan, tour guide, gives a brief history on the small town of Honesdale while sitting at the bar in Irving Cliff Brewery. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Brewmaster Peter Seeuwen, of Hawley, talks about the process of making craft brew at Irving Cliff Brewery in Honesdale. Seeuwen says a batch of beer can take up to 12 hours to brew.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale5-2.jpg.optimal.jpgBrewmaster Peter Seeuwen, of Hawley, talks about the process of making craft brew at Irving Cliff Brewery in Honesdale. Seeuwen says a batch of beer can take up to 12 hours to brew. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Underneath the famous Irving Cliff is a series of lagering caves where the old brewery existed from around 1851 until the 1940s in Honesdale.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale6-2.jpg.optimal.jpgUnderneath the famous Irving Cliff is a series of lagering caves where the old brewery existed from around 1851 until the 1940s in Honesdale. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Dan Corrigan looks through an opening in the caves underneath Irving Cliff in Honesdale.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale8-2.jpg.optimal.jpgDan Corrigan looks through an opening in the caves underneath Irving Cliff in Honesdale. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

The view of Honesdale from Irving Cliff. New York story writer Washington Irving drew much inspiration for his short stories on this cliff in Honesdale.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale9-2.jpg.optimal.jpgThe view of Honesdale from Irving Cliff. New York story writer Washington Irving drew much inspiration for his short stories on this cliff in Honesdale. Sean McKeag | Times Leader

Brian Cobb leads the way on a tour through the cave underneath the remains of the old brewery that existed in the 1800s.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021416Honesdale7-2.jpg.optimal.jpgBrian Cobb leads the way on a tour through the cave underneath the remains of the old brewery that existed in the 1800s. Sean McKeag | Times Leader
Breweries, outdoor excursions and budding arts culture contained in cozy borough

By Matt Mattei

[email protected]

If you go:

Irving Cliff Brewery: 2 Chapel St., Honesdale, 570-647-0644

Saw Mill Cycles and Northeast Wilderness Experience: 883 Main St., Honesdale, 570-352-3444

The Cooperage Project: 1030 Main St., Honesdale, 570-253-2020

Hotel Wayne: 1202 Main St., Honesdale, 570-253-3290

Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651