Silver Birches resides along the shore of Lake Wallenpaupack on the eastern end of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Extending for some 13 miles in length, it specifically straddles the border between Wayne and Pike Counties. Its primary outlet is the Lackawaxen River, which serves as a tributary to the much larger Delaware. The land upon which the lake currently resides was once inhabited by the Lenape Indians, who called the area “Wahlinkpapeck” or “deep and dark.” The name specifically referred to the densely forested geography that lined the creek that twisted through the area. English settlers later anglicized the name to “Wallenpaupack” when they arrived in the late-18th century, interpreting it to mean, “the stream of swift and slow water.” The largest landowner soon became James Wilson, who was one of the signatories for both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. A small village quickly developed at the end of the century within Wilson’s landholdings, which the citizens called “Wilsonville.” A number of other communities subsequently emerged throughout the 1800s, including the likes of Hawley, Paupack, and Palmyra.

Then, in the 20th century, the Pennsylvania Power & Light Company (PP&L) decided to transform Wallenpaupack Creek into a massive lake. The company specifically hoped that the body of water would provide the region with a reliable source of hydroelectric power. The project took some 2,700 men to complete and lasted for nearly two years, ending in 1926. To create the lake, the PP&L constructed a dam and levee in the vicinity of Wilsonville. It then purchased several hundred acres of land from local residents at a rate of $20 per plot. Many of their homes were left behind and demolished, with just the foundations remaining. Most Wilsonville was even abandoned and submerged when the company finally flooded the area. But people were amazing by the water’s clarity as soon as Lake Wallenpaupack opened. In some cases, visitors reported that they could see straight down to the bottom of the lakebed. Yet, the location quickly became a great source of outdoor recreation, as the entire Pocono region emerged as a prestigious tourist hotspot in the 1960s. Today, the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District supervises the location on behalf of the people who currently live nearby.

The Poconos themselves are a massive mountain chain that shadows the Delaware River before ending near the Lehigh Valley. Its northern reaches drift into New York, where they link up with the Catskills. Some of the summits in the Poconos are capable of reaching several hundred feet in elevation, with the highest peak measuring some 1,800 feet. People have long inhabited the region, as many Native American societies—including the Lenape, Iroquois, and Shawnee—once called the Poconos home. In 1742, English and German settlers began arriving en masse, although the Dutch had created a few outposts on the fringes of the mountain chain a century prior. Small sustenance farms populated the areas where the land was flat and the soil arable. But the Poconos were soon celebrated regionally for its serene environment. The area, thus, gradually built a reputation as a secluded retreat, with the first hotel opening in 1829. Yet, its true metamorphosis into a major holiday destination did not truly come to fruition until the mid-20th century. World War II heavily spurred this development, as American soldiers returning from overseas took their loved ones up into the mountains for a much needed vacation. Its popularity exploded tenfold once the war ended, with families traveling from all over the nation to enjoy its natural beauty. Since the 1990s, the Poconos have been among the most cherished vacation getaways in all of America, with tens of thousands visiting every year.

Silver Birches is a collection of 13 historic agricultural structures that mainly date back to the early 1900s. The core of the resort once constituted the family farm of George and Rachel Singer, who decided to transform it into a quaint country inn around 1904. Those original buildings displayed some of the finest Colonial Revival-style architecture in the Poconos. Colonial Revival architecture today is perhaps the most widely used building form in the entire United States. It reached its zenith at the height of the Gilded Age, where countless Americans turned to the aesthetic to celebrate what they feared was America’s disappearing past. The movement came about in the aftermath of the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, in which people from across the country traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to commemorate the American Revolution. Many of the exhibitors chose to display cultural representations of 18th-century America, encouraging millions of people across the country to preserve the nation’s history. Architects were among those inspired, who looked to revitalize the design principles of colonial English and Dutch homes. This gradually gave way to a larger embrace of Georgian and Federal-style architecture, which focused exclusively on the country’s formative years. As such, structures built in the style of Colonial Revival architecture featured such components as pilasters, brickwork, and modest, double-hung windows. Symmetrical designs defined Colonial Revival-style façades, anchored by a central, pedimented front door and simplistic portico. Gable roofs typically topped the buildings, although hipped and gambrel forms were used, as well. This building form remained immensely popular for years until largely petering out in late-20th century. Nevertheless, architects today still rely upon Colonial Revival architecture, using the form to construct all kinds of residential buildings and commercial complexes.

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