Price Township Municipal Offices are located at 10 Barren Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301.
Phone: 570‑421‑2497.
Neighborhoods
Beginnings [1]
John Price settled Price Township in 1768, after being driven out by Native Americans during an earlier attempt in 1756. Price and other early settlers of the township followed the Brodhead Creek north from the Stroudsburgs and settled along its banks and tributaries. Price Township was incorporated in 1798 when it was split from Smithfield Township, then part of Northampton County.
Small farms prevailed in the Township, although rocky soil limited their prosperity. The primary industries in these early days were flagstone quarrying and lumbering. Primarily a lumber township, Price at one time had as many as 10-15 sawmills. These mills and the tanneries that went with them led to population growth and the eventual split of the Township. Paradise Township was carved out of Price in 1848, with Barrett following suit in 1859.
Price Township, along with Monroe County as a whole, was the site of major unrest during the Civil War. A Democratic stronghold, residents regarded the war as "Mr. Lincoln's War." Therefore, when the draft was instituted, residents outside the town limits took to the woods rather than be rousted into service. The problem escalated to such an extent that cavalry troops were called into the county to enforce the draft.
The township was a leading area for draft dodgers at the time; it's isolated woods being all to easy to escape into. On October 5, 1864, "Private Leander K. Dease was patrolling the woods of the roads of Price in search of deserters. Near the home of Jacob Miller, shots were fired from ambush and the cavalryman fell mortally wounded from his horse." A man named William Mosteller was driven from the Township and the houses of Union men riddled with bullet holes. It is recorded that the people regarded these events as "humorous episodes." In addition a man named Henry M. was "found comfortably lodged in a cabin with several saddles of venison." Upon his arrest his father protested that the venison was actually inside the house and the troops had stolen it.
Voters in 1860 split their votes between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, giving 15 votes to each, but in 1864 rejected Lincoln in favor of McClellan by a vote of 38 to 2, reflecting the attitudes of Price Township residents toward the Civil War.
The wilderness environment of Price Township, that continues to the present day, has been prized from the early 19th century on for hunting and fishing. Many hunting and fishing clubs have been established over the years, along with State Forest lands that currently occupy 21% of the Township. Price is, indeed, the only municipality in Monroe County not to have a borough or village within its limits.
Monroe County's first state park was built at Snow Hill in the Delaware State Forest. The lake and picnic area were developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which had an expansive camp along Laurel Run during the Great Depression.
Nearby Towns: Barrett Twp •