Marker Dedication: Marshalls Creek Explosion

This past Monday I finally got to attend a marker dedication ceremony for the first time all year. These ceremonies will unfortunately be few and far between for a while - although the PHMC did approve a number of new markers for 2023, they are actually suspending the marker program for the time being, due to supply issues and other difficulties. So several of the newly approved markers have their dedication ceremonies "TBA" for the time being. This page will always show the most up-to-date information on when and where markers are being dedicated. But this Monroe County marker was ready in time for a particular anniversary, which meant a lot to many of the people there for the ceremony.

I'll be talking about the actual Marshalls Creek explosion in next week's post, so I'm not going to get into much of it today, but it claimed six lives and greatly impacted the entire Marshalls Creek area - and eventually, the country as a whole. But I can tell you that I had actually never heard of it until the marker was approved, so Monday was quite a learning experience for me.

I wasn't completely sure I would be able to get to the ceremony, since I was woken up early by a thunderstorm and we had wretched weather for most of the day (just as we did all weekend). It cleared up before the time I needed to leave, so I went, and luckily we were able to enjoy decent conditions for the duration of the ceremony. They were prepared just in case, though, with a large tent erected over the seating for the speeches. 

I was genuinely surprised to arrive in Marshalls Creek (a suburb of East Stroudsburg) and find that they had officers on hand directing traffic; a number of firefighters from neighboring departments were there for the occasion, including a truck from the Bushkill department which flew an enormous American flag over route 209. Those of us attending the ceremony were guided through the grounds of Regina Farms, which was hosting the event. Not only is this garden center situated close to the site of the explosion, but the owner's brother was one of the civilian casualties of that terrible day.

I took a seat at the back of the tent, near other (professional) media people who were present; reporters from the Pocono Record newspaper and WNEP television news were among those covering the event. Just after noon, those gathered were called to order and everything began. Annette Atkinson, current chairman of the Middle Smithfield Township board of supervisors, acted as the master of ceremonies. The first speaker she introduced was Dr. William V. Lewis, Jr., commissioner of the PHMC. He talked about the educational value of the marker program, and thanked everyone involved for their support of the program as a whole and this marker in particular.

The next speaker was Gene Berry, the chaplain and assistant chief of the Marshalls Creek fire company. Before he got very far with his remarks, he called upon Holly Dennis, liaison of the Middle Smithfield Township historical commission. Holly was the chief person who spearheaded the marker effort, applying not once but twice to have it approved, and provided much of the necessary research. She was presented with a beautiful bouquet of white and yellow flowers as a token of the fire company's gratitude. This done, he began to talk about how when he pictured the explosion, he imagined it rather like "a war zone," and said that those who were dispatched to deal with the crisis had no idea they would be responding to one of the worst events in the history of the United States fire service. In addition to the six deaths, the explosion destroyed the tractor trailer in which it originated as well as two fire trucks, injured thirteen people, damaged a number of nearby buildings and vehicles, and left a crater forty feet wide in the ground. He said that every year since then, the fire company gathers at 5:45 p.m. on June 26th to pay tribute to their fallen brothers. He concluded with an allusion to the Gettysburg Address:

"May those who died here in 1964 not have died in vain. May they always be remembered."

A number of people in attendance had actually been present for the explosion, or to help clean up the aftermath. At least one gentleman I saw was unable to keep from weeping at the memory.

We next heard from Carrie Wetherbee, chairperson of the Middle Smithfield Township historical commission, about the efforts to get the marker approved. She was followed by Russ Scott, president of the Monroe County Historical Association, who told us that Middle Smithfield Township has a rich history dating back to when the area was part of Pike County. He declared that the MCHA was honored to be part of the day's events, and that the fire company of Middle Smithfield Township is one of twenty volunteer companies throughout Monroe County, with all of those volunteers being "exceptional people".

Representatives of the offices of Congressman Matt Cartwright, State Senator Rosemary Brown, and State Representatives Maureen Madden and Tarah Probst brought commendations from their bosses, who were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts. Cartwright and Brown in particular assisted with the marker application, by providing information about congressional hearings related to the explosion.

Ms. Atkinson (seen at right) reclaimed the microphone for a few last remarks before we made our way to the unveiling. She encouraged interested parties to visit the Middle Smithfield Township Community and Cultural Center, which hosts a display about the explosion every June; the Marshalls Creek fire company lends them a number of artifacts from the tragedy as part of the display. Next year is the 60th anniversary of the explosion, and they hope to have an even bigger memorial observance. From there we were led across the lawn, down a somewhat muddy hill, to the roadside spot where the marker stood waiting under its canvas cover.

Chaplain Berry led the group in a moment of silence followed by prayer. Then, assisted by Ed Regina (owner of Regina Farms), he took off the cover to much applause, and there was a lengthy series of pictures taken. After this, we returned to the tent, where everyone was treated to a very generous refreshment spread of sandwiches, fruit, veggies, baked goods, and beverages.

I had more than an hour's drive ahead of me and I still had to go to work that evening, so I needed to get on the road. However, before I left I introduced myself to Ms. Atkinson, or Annette as she insisted I call her, to explain who I was and why I was there. I don't always do this, because sometimes I feel a little silly, but I think there was a reason that I felt compelled to do it this time - as it turned out, she asked for my help. Like I said, next year is the 60th anniversary of the explosion, and they are hoping to track down more relatives of the six people who were killed. But since, as she put it, not everyone uses Facebook, they're trying to reach out through as many additional resources as they can. So as part of my marker coverage next week, I'll be telling my readers about the six victims - who they were, what I can learn about them, and so on - and maybe this will help forge a necessary connection. I promised I would do what I can to help, so stay tuned!

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Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.