"Winter Wonderland"
Honesdale, Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Lyricist Richard “Dick” Smith (1901-1935) wrote the song “Winter Wonderland” in 1934 while being treated for tuberculosis in Scranton. Recorded by dozens of popular singers, it became one of the most memorable and beloved songs of the holiday season. Smith’s family lived here at 922 Church Street, and the song was inspired by his boyhood memories of playing across the street in Central Park. He passed away from TB shortly after the song was released.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the depths of the Great Depression, a Honesdale-raised lyricist named Richard "Dick" Smith turned the ache of a tuberculosis sanatorium in nearby Scranton into one of the season's most enduring songs. Looking back on winters spent in Central Park across from his family's Church Street home, he penned the words to "Winter Wonderland" in 1934. The song was recorded by dozens of artists and became a holiday standard, though Smith died of the disease at just 34, barely after it reached the public.
Why it matters
A quiet small-town street produced a piece of American popular culture sung across the world every December, a reminder of how deeply local memory can shape the nation's shared soundtrack.
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Related people
- · Richard "Dick" Smith
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Wayne County
Honesdale, PA · est. 1981
Established in 1798 and named for the Revolutionary general "Mad" Anthony Wayne, this county earned a permanent place in transportation history. In 1829 at Honesdale, the Stourbridge Lion made the first run of a locomotive on a commercial railroad track in the United States. Honesdale also served as the western terminus of the Delaware & Hudson Canal, linking Pennsylvania's anthracite to distant markets.
Stourbridge Lion
Honesdale, PA · est. 1947
Honesdale honors its place in railroad history with a replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the English-built engine that in 1829 became the first locomotive to run on rails in the United States. Displayed beside it is the Eclipse, an original passenger coach from the Delaware & Hudson's gravity railroad. Together they recall the town's role at the very dawn of American railroading.
Stourbridge Lion
Honesdale, PA · est. 1947
On August 8, 1829, at Honesdale, the Stourbridge Lion made the first run of a steam locomotive on rails in the United States. English-built for the level stretches of the Delaware & Hudson's gravity railroad, the engine was piloted by Horatio Allen, who took it out despite doubts that the wooden trestlework could bear its weight. The trial proved that steam power could move on iron rails on American soil — a glimpse of the railroad age to come.
Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel (1882-1936)
Forest City, PA · est. 2015
Long before he lit up New York, Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel ran the Family Theater on Main Street in Forest City from 1908 to 1911, testing showman's flourishes like perfuming the air for his audiences and screening films in a brightened hall. These small-town experiments in the art of the moviegoing experience became the foundation of a legendary career. He carried his ideas to New York City, opening the opulent Roxy Theater and helping bring the Rockettes to the stage of Radio City Music Hall.