The Friends of Salt Springs Park, Inc. • PO Box 541 • Montrose PA • 18801 • 570.967.7275 • info@friendsofsaltspringspark.org
History serves society much as memory serves an individual.
—Kyvig and Marty
Nathan Philips Wheaton, who went by "NP," his wife Mary Watson Wheaton, and their three children were the first Wheatons to live at Salt Springs. NP built the first farmhouse, which we refer to today as "the Wheaton House" and use for programs and offices. His son James built the companion farmhouse at Salt Springs when he was ready to raise his own family. Because of the generosity of Wheaton descendant John Wheaton, we have these photographs of the first family to share with you.
The Wheaton family began purchasing tracts of land in Franklin Forks Township in the 1830s. The main farmhouse in Salt Springs Park was built circa 1842—at least that's the first year they began paying taxes on it.
As the Wheatons were to learn, and we did too, although they settled into a vast stretch of wilderness, that wilderness was not unknown, unused, or unappreciated. Before the Wheatons arrived, Balthasar DeHaert had spent much of the last 35 years of his life on what would become their land, mining for salt.
Balthasar's Story — First Salt Miner at Salt Springs
The time and place
Imagine you are standing alone, in the woods. There is no dwelling or road for 5 miles. There are passersby, however, both human and animal. This is Indian hunting territory, and white men are also beginning to trickle through. Bears and bobcats live here. The forest and its canopy are so thick at places you can't tell if it's day or night. This is the setting of Balthasar's story, near the Wheaton House, across Fall Brook. The year is 1795, 216 years ago.
Continue reading.History is alive at Salt Springs Park. We members of the Historical Committee provide programs and interpretive displays, care for the Friends' artifact and photographic collections, research the local community, and always look for new ways to share the park's rich historical resources. Thus this page.
Content will be added regularly, so check back once in awhile.
Looking for Photographs
We have a small collection of photographs. We know what some of the Wheatons looked like and where some of the outbuildings used to be. We have some views of Franklin Forks in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and we have a few images of local residents.
Pictures enhance a story, and we use them in our programs and displays when possible. We want to enhance our collection of photographs that document "all things" Salt Springs. If you have such photographs, we ask that you consider providing us with copies. This way, you will know that your pictures will be preserved, and you will help us better illustrate the stories we tell.
Keep in Touch
We'd love to hear your stories about Salt Springs, too. E-mail us, give us a call, write us a letter, or share them with us on Facebook. We'll keep sharing, too. After Part II of Balthasar's story will come Daniel's story, then Emeline's, then. . . .