UPPER DELAWARE RIVER — The Delaware Highlands Conservancy has received $3,155 in grant funding from the Honesdale National Bank Foundation to support the restoration and rebuild of a perimeter fence for a small historic family cemetery on the Conservancy’s Van Scott Nature Reserve property in Beach Lake, Wayne County, PA.

The historic cemetery dates to the mid-to-late 19th century and is the resting place of several members of the McIntire family, who first settled the property in 1835. The fence around the perimeter was in disrepair and in need of replacement, and thanks to this generous grant funding, the fence has now been completely rebuilt and restored. 

The grant funding also supported the installation of an interpretive sign detailing the history of the McIntire family and of the Van Scott Nature Reserve property. The Conservancy thanks the Wayne County Historical Society for providing genealogical and historical research.

The cemetery and interpretive sign are found along the upper Explorer Trail on the Reserve if visitors would like to read more about the McIntire family and the history of the Reserve, a former dairy farm. Trail maps are located at the trailhead kiosks and on the Conservancy’s website at www.DelawareHighlands.org/vsnr.

The 144-acre Reserve is open from sunrise to sunset every day and offers three miles of walking trails through the woods, wildflower meadows, and wetlands.

The Delaware Highlands Conservancy works in partnership with landowners and communities to protect the natural heritage and quality of life of the Upper Delaware River region. For more information, call 570-226-3164/845-583-1010 or visitwww.DelawareHighlands.org.