White Mills historic buildings to open

WHITE MILLS — Fall foliage, antiques and local history come together on Columbus Day weekend as White Mills opens the doors to several of the village’s historic attractions along the White Mills Community Trail. The Dorflinger Factory Cutting Shop hosts the Annual Fall Foliage Antique Show and Sale from Friday through Sunday.
The Dorflinger Glass Museum and Museum Gift Shop will be open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. It’s the End of the Season Sale in the gift shop.
The Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary will open two of its restored buildings for tours on Saturday, Oct. 8, and Sunday, Oct. 9, from 1-4 p.m. There is an admission charge to enter the Antique Show and the Dorflinger Glass Museum. No admission is required to tour the other buildings.
The historic sites in the village include the restored 1867 Glassworker’s House, the historic 1911 Firehouse and the original canal Lock Tender’s House. The Dorflinger Glass Museum is located on the grounds of the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary at the top of the Elizabeth Street hill.
Renowned glass maker Christian Dorflinger recruited seven highly skilled workers from Saint Louis-les Bitche, France. The group arrived in the United States in March of 1866. Dorflinger immediately began building workers houses for them, initially seven small, sloped roofed houses similar to the workers houses he knew in France. These houses were modified in 1875. In 2001, the fifth in line of the original seven, was restored to its 1875 appearance by the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary.
The canal Lock Tender’s House, built in 1850 and located at the end of Lock Street, has a scale model diorama that shows how the lock system of the Delaware and Hudson Canal operated from the late 1820s to 1898. Photographs of the canal and canal artifacts are on display.
The village of White Mills is located on Route 6, half way between the towns of Honesdale and Hawley.