Pahaquarry

         The beginning of the town's decline can be traced back to 1955, when the Delaware River was hit with the largest flood it had ever seen. The flood was caused by two hurricanes, Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane, which hit the river within one week of each other. This added 20 inches of rainwater to the river. (10 inches each, for those who are curious.) This flood took 99 lives, and caused roughly 2.8 billion dollars of damage in today's money.

         In 1962, 7 years after this tragic disaster, Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the "Tocks Island Dam" on the Delaware River. It was to be 40 miles long, and in addition to preventing a future flood, it was designed to harness hydroelectric power. It would also create a 37 mile long reservoir in the center of the then-new Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area. However, there was a problem with this plan. Pahaquarry, among other settlements, was near the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area, and in the way of the dam.

         So, the U.S.A.C.E. proposed a plan, consisting of, in their words, 6 "priority management areas". These included "Reservoir Operations", Structural and Non-Structural Solutions ", Storm water Management", Floodplain Mapping", and "Flood Warning." I will spare the reader from the details of these, and instead include the most important portion of these documents, the 12 words that spelled Pahaquarry's doom, from their Structural and Non-Structural Solutions plan:  "Prioritization and greater funding of nonstructural measures such as acquisition of property..." The plan goes on from there, but the rest doesn't have the implications that this line does, specifically, the last few words, "acquisition of property." You see, the U.S.A.C.E.'s report never directly mentions anywhere other than where the reservoir will be, and various points along the river, which aren't related to this particular town. This means that "acquisition of property" is very broad, and could mean anywhere from one plot of land to entire settlements. Sadly for Pahaquarry, they meant the latter. You see, by "acquisition of property, the U.S.A.C.E. meant that they would "purchase" all surrounding land, forcing a great deal of people out of their own houses unwillingly, for no reason other than they needed a dam. Approximately 3,000-5,000 homes were destroyed, and 15,000 people were displaced.

        Among these numbers was Pahaquarry. Their land was "bought" in the late 1960's, and although their population was already beginning to dwindle, this ensured that they would never recover.  Around 71 people lived there as of the 1970 census, and by the next decade, they were down to 26. This constant decline continued, until the town was no more. 

        However, it doesn't end there. You see, the Tocks Island Dam was never built, as a study that the U.S.A.C.E. had been conducting while the dam was being built, called the "Delaware River Basin Study Survey Report" (Released in 1992) revealed that the plans that they had put into effect were only justified in 12 out of the 58 communities that had been affected. I have no idea which side they placed Pahaquarry in, but I imagine that it was part of the 46 that were not justified. The study also showed that the land in the Delaware Water Gap was not safe for a dam, as t he soil there was too loose, which meant the dam would not hold. The project was then "indefinitely delayed" in 1975, and the land was not returned to the original owners, but instead it was given to the "National Wild and Scenic River System" in 1978, and through it, the National Park Service.

         However, some people still lived in their houses, even though the government hand bought the land they were on. They offered the people a deal, either the remaining citizens would pay rent to live in their own houses, as the government now owned it, or to leave. Most decided that the former was the best option, as the offer sounded like a cruel joke. This caused Pahaquarry's, and a few other nearby town’s populations to sink like a stone.

         The strangest part, however, is that despite all the evidence clearly proving that a dam could not be built in the Delaware Water gap, the project was still somehow re-reviewed by Congress in 1992. It was then set to be tabled for 10 years, but things didn't happen that way, as the project was officially de-authorized by Congress in 2002, never to be brought up again. For once in the Tocks Island Dam Project's lifetime, (ironically, at the end of its lifetime) logic prevailed.

        The previously mentioned land, and with it, the few remaining houses that survived, could still be rented by the general public after 1978. However, in order to do so, you would need to go through the National Park Service, and their long, arduous, and intentionally confusing legal process. However, there was one work around: get a job within the National Park Service, and most of the legal jargon is immediately waived, the lease becomes just like any other house rental. But there was a catch that harmed Pahaquarry immensely: If you work for the U.S. Government, i.e. the National Park Service, you could not participate in Pahaquarry's government. Due to this, Pahaquarry was left with very few people eligible to be in its committee. And in 1994, two citizens died, one of which was the town's mayor at the time, Donald Von Hagen. Jean Zipser took his place, but because of the loss of Mr. Von Hagen, they were left with 2 eligible people, less than the minimum amount for a municipal government. This meant that they had barely enough people to hold a quorum, and they could not hold anything else. They could decide upon basic matters through said quorums, pay bills, and pave roads. The town was very secluded due to all of this, and the low population and the far-off feeling location didn't help either. "It takes an attitude of self-reliance to live here. We're living on what was a frontier," said Jean Zipser. "If my water freezes, I have to haul water. If the fuel oil company can't get its truck over the mountain, I have to haul fuel oil. It becomes tedious.” I imagine it was very hard for her, and the other citizens. "The concept of living alone or far away from other people or living with hardship is not a popular idea."

       In 1992, Hardwick had proposed a merger. This was before Mr. Van Hagen's death, however, meaning that the town, as small as it was, still had a full government, albeit with the minimum number of participants. Pahaquarry refused, as the two townships could not agree on who would pay to maintain the roads, and pay for the Valentine family's children's education. In addition, the National Park Service and the Warren County board of education had a few issues with the merger as well.

        In 1997, the town was near the end of its lifetime; its population had dwindled to 6 people. The town of Hardwick had approached Pahaquarry yet again with a proposition: annexation. Pahaquarry had little choice but to accept, this time considering the state of their government. Money wasn't a problem this time, as in 1996; State Legislature had agreed to cover the education costs if the two towns did merge. So both Townships voted on the topic, and the annexation was agreed upon by both parties. Shortly before the vote, a historian from Tavistock, Tom Redanauer, had this to say; "I think we'll wake up on Thursday the same way we felt on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday." In other words, he said that the loss of Pahaquarry was inconsequential. It was most certainly not, however, to its former citizens. And I know that many others, myself included, must feel the same way. Pahaquarry shall be missed.