Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania

• Coolbaugh Township (North)
• Borough of Mount Pocono (Northeast)
• Pocono Township, Monroe County (East)
• Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County (South)
• Kidder Township, Carbon County (Southwest)
• Buck Township, Luzerne County (Northwest)

Tobyhanna Township has a 22 private communities that contain the bulk of homes.

• Arrowhead Lake
• Blakeslee Estates
• Camelot Forest
• Campstead
• Emerald Lakes
• Estates at Emerald Lakes
• Fawn Ridge Estates
• Forest Glen
• Greenwood Acres
• Harvest Acres
• Keswick Pointe
• Lake Naomi/Timber Trails
• Locust Lake Village
• Locust Paradise
• Old Farm Estates
• Pinecrest Development
• Pocohanna Cabin Colony
• Pocono Lake Preserve
• Stillwater Lake Civic Association
• Stillwater Lake Estates
• Timber Lake Estates
• Wagner Forest

On May 15-6, 1779, Van Cortland's 2nd New York Regiment, Spencer's 5th New Jersey Regiment, and Cilly's 1st New Hampshire Regiment arrived at Learns Tavern in Tannersville and began construction on the trail on May 17. Originally a mountain path, the road was under construction as a military road to assist with moving troops through the area for Sullivan's Expedition. The builders reached the Hungry Hill area on May 23, Tobyhanna Creek on the 24th, Locust Hill (now Locust Ridge) on May 30, and established Camp Fatigue on June 7. The road to the Wyoming Valley (Scran/Wilkes-Barre area) was completed on June 15.[5]

In 1754, settlers from Connecticut (Yankees) claimed land in the Wyoming Valley, now the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. The Charter of 1662 of King Charles II of England reads, "We, of Our abundant Grace, . . . have given, granted, and confirmed. . . unto the said Governor and Company. . . all that Part of Our Dominions in New-England . . . bounded on the East by . . . Narraganset-Bay, . . . on the North by the Line of the Massachusetts-Plantation; and on the South by the Sea; and in Longitude . . . From the said Narraganset-Bay on the East, to the South Sea on the West Part . . .".[6] The South Sea is now called the Pacific Ocean. Thus, settlers in Connecticut felt they had claim to the land. Pennsylvania settlers (Pennamites) laid claim to the same land by right of a royal charter. Thirdly, the Iroquois claimed the land as theirs, as they had been living there before either group of settlers arrived. Unrest was largely minimal until 1769, when Connecticut established its first permanent settlement. The resulting conflicts were eventually dubbed the Pennamite–Yankee War.

The Third Yankee-Pennamite War lasted from 1784–1794. In July 1784, Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council raised a militia to combat the Yankee occupations. Locust Hill, now known as Locust Ridge, was the site of an engagement on August 2, 1784 between Pennamite troops under the command of Colonel John Armstrong and Yankee troops under the command of Captain John Swift. Swift's men surrendered on August 8. Only one person died during the Battle of Locust Ridge, a man by the name of Jacob Everett.[7]

From 1896 through the 1940s, one large industry in the township was ice harvesting. Ice was harvest from Lake Naomi, Pocono Lake, Stillwater Lake, Anglewood Lake, and Brady's Lake. The ice was stored in icehouses and transported by the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad to major cities.[8]

Another large industry was logging and lumbering. Charles Hauser built a sawmill in 1848, and Isaac Stauffer followed in 1863. Stauffer eventually purchased Hauser's operation, and through the accumulation of 4,500 acres of land, became known as the "King of the Poconos."[9]

Tobyhanna Township is part of the Pocono Mountain School District. The Township contains Tobyhanna Elementary Center and Pocono Mountain West High School.

The Clymer Library was established in 1906. The library's current location is the old Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company building, which was remodeled to suit the library. Operating from its current location since 1982, the library currently stocks over 47,000 books and over 2,500 cassettes and DVDs.[13]

Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company (TTVFC) was chartered as the Pocono Pines Fire Company in 1930. On February 25, 1954, the Tobyhanna Township Board of Supervisors passed a resolution designating TTVFC as an official fire protection service for the township[14] This resolution also allocated any money received through the Fire Insurance Tax Fund to the fire company.

Pocono Mountain Volunteer Fire Company (PMVFC) was chartered in 1925, and has provided fire protection services for the Borough of Mt. Pocono and Paradise Township since then.[15] As of 2017, Pocono Mountain became a provider for Tobyhanna Township.

Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department (PMRPD) was chartered in 1994, when Mount Pocono Borough and Tobyhanna Township's police departments merged.[16] PMRPD employs 38 officers under the direction of Police Chief is Chris Wagner.

Pocono Mountain Regional Emergency Services (PMREMS) services Tobyhanna Township and other surrounding townships. According to their annual report, given to the Board of Supervisors on January 16, 2018, Pocono Mountain Regional received a total of 6,207 calls for the 2017 year, 1,322 of which were located in Tobyhanna Township.[17]

The Pocono Mountains has local television stations that service the area:

• WNEP-TV ABC affiliate
• WBRE-TV NBC affiliate
• WYOU-TV CBS affiliate
• WVIA-TV PBS affiliate
• WOLF-TV FOX affiliate

Radio stations that service the area include:

• WABT "Pocono 96.7" is licensed to Lehman Township in Pike County.
• WESS at (90.3 FM) broadcasts from East Stroudsburg University. University students and faculty provide programming and DJing, and the station rebroadcasts BBC World Service when not in use by the university.
• WSBG (93.5 FM) is licensed to Stroudsburg. The station's slogan is "The Poconos' Best Variety."
• WVIA (89.9 FM) NPR Member Station broadcast from the Wyoming Valley. Arts and information station.

The township has two local newspapers:

• The Pocono Record is a newspaper based in Stroudsburg.
• The Journal of the Pocono Plateau is a newspaper based in White Haven. The paper also prints the Journal-Herald, and the Journal of Penn-Kidder.

While there are no teams local to the boundaries of the township, The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are based 40 minutes away. The team is one of the pools the New York Yankees uses to recruit players.

Many of Tobyhanna Township's attractions celebrate the history of the area as a coal and lumber area, while other facets of the township promote tourism.

The Marker Advocates of Tobyhanna Township (MATT) was founded on May 19, 2015[18] by a group of volunteers. The nonprofit organization created a map with 24 sites of historical importance, with each site delineated by a green marker pole.

Kalahari Resorts is located just off of I-380 and SR 940. The indoor water park in the Pocono Mountains is the largest in the United States, at 220,000 square feet. The resort opened in 2015, and consists of a 220,000-square-foot (20,000 m²) indoor waterpark, an outdoor waterpark, 230,000-square-foot (21,000 m²) convention center, 977 guest rooms, Spa Kalahari and Salon, a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²) entertainment center. The resort also has two embedded restaurants: Sortino's Family Kitchen and Double Cut Bar and Grill.

Interstate 80 and Interstate 380 run through the township. Other major roads include SR940, SR115, and SR314.

Originally named Harrison Park, the area was destroyed by a flood in 1955, caused when Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane hit the area in early August. Renamed Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area, the park has approximately 130 acres of protected land. Three trails span 2.59 miles of hiking areas. Creek Trail, the longest path at 1.14 miles, follows the northern bank of Tobyhanna Creek and leads to Tobyhanna Falls.[19]

Blanche D. Price Memorial Park was created in the early 20th century. The park contains two lodges, a playground, two baseball fields, a basketball court, and a pool (closed for repairs). The area has grit walking paths. It was originally part of Pine Tree Camp, but was given to the township in the early 20th century. The main lodge was renovated in 2006.

The Eschenbach Cemetery was established between 1810–1830 as a private family cemetery. Andrew Eschenbach, Jr., born on December 25, 1745 to Andreas Eschenbach and Johanna Catharina Muntz, was one of the first permanent settlers in Tobyhanna Township. He and his wife, Susan Fink, moved to Tobyhanna Township in 1809. They had 10 children between 1780 and 1810, and had a large enough family that a cemetery became a necessity, as the infrastructure of the township was not sufficiently developed.

It is possible that the location of the Eschenbach Cemetery was determined by an existing grave site. The Battle of Locust Ridge took place on August 2, 1784 as part of the Yankee-Pennamite Wars between Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Jacob Everett (of Pennsylvania) was the only person to lose his life in the battle. Although lacking firm documentation, lore handed down through generations suggests he is buried in what later became the Eschenbach Cemetery.

The Eschenbach Cemetery headstones are local field stone and slate, which means the etchings have since worn away from natural weathering. While the location of who is buried at what grave site may forever be a mystery, it is known that the cemetery was the final resting place for Andrew and Susan.

The Hungry Hill memorial is a Revolutionary War memorial and grave site of an unknown soldier. Van Cortlandt's 2nd New York and Spencer's 5th New Jersey regiments camped nearby while they changed a wilderness trail into a military road.[20] This path, known now as Sullivan Trail, paved the way for the Sullivan Expedition in 1779. General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton, who led the expedition, pushed through the area known as the Great Swamp, as they pursued a scorched earth campaign against the Iroquois. Today, the path of the original Sullivan Road within Tobyhanna Township is virtually intact.

Keiper Park is located in the center of Tobyhanna Township. The park contains a softball field, concession stand, and a playground. The area is largely grassy fields.

Thomas Darling Preserve was named after Wilkes-Barre naturalist Thomas Darling Jr.[21] The area covers of over 2,500 acres of land, featuring one of the state's largest spruce forests.[21] Two Mile Run is a tributary of Tobyhanna Creek, and runs through the preserve. The trail, a 2.2-mile loop, is marked with blue blazes.