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About Coolbaugh Township
Overview
Coolbaugh Township is another second class township located within Pennsylvania's Monroe County, located within the eastern portion of the state. It's currently one of the largest townships in the county, holding a population of around 20,000 as of the 2010 census.
The township extends over 88 square miles, also calculated around 56,000 acres. Coolbaugh Township's roads extend over 70 miles throughout the township itself.
Coolbaugh Township was known for its wilderness frontier, since the surrounding land harbored thick forests and murky swamplands. At the time, it was also relatively unprotected and vulnerable from attacks from Native Americans living in the region.
Coolbaugh Township Today
Today, Coolbaugh Township is considered the largest township with a relatively high concentration of people, out of any municipality within the entire Monroe County.
Thanks to this, it's considered a relatively good place for both individuals and families to live in Pocono homes residing there. The Pocono real estate scene there is actually a lot modestly priced than one would expect for a large township.
History
Coolbaugh Township was first established in November 1794, coincidentally the same year that the nearby Middle Smithfield Township was formed.
The origins of the township's name stemmed from Associate Judge John Coolbaugh, who actually owned large tracts of land in Middle Smithfield Township. He didn't actually live in Coolbaugh itself, but he did help survey the entirety of the area's boundaries, essentially naming the township after himself.
The earliest villages within Coolbaugh Township included Drover's Home, Naglesville, Pocono Summit, Saxville, Tobyhanna Mills and Warnertown. Mount Pocono used to be a part of Coolbaugh Township, until it later became an independent borough in 1927.
The first permanent settlers in Coolbaugh included Daniel Callahan, William Madden and John Pope. Many of their descendents, in fact, are still living within the township to this day.
Since the area's wilderness frontier gave way to the many trees located there, early settlers often traveled to Coolbaugh Township to establish new saw mills. The industry started flourishing following that, once saw mills of any conceivable operating size opened. The lumber produced from these operations played a large role in fostering the growth and development of homes and businesses throughout the region.
Thanks to the burgeoning timber industry, tourism fast rose as a profitable industry for Coolbaugh Township. Visitors often visited Coolbaugh Township and stayed in its newly developed summer boarding houses and larger hotels.
One of the earliest roads in Coolbaugh was the North-South Road, built right through the wilderness in the late 1800s. The start of the road was located in present-day Saylorsburg, now known as Hamilton Township. It traveled north into Coolbaugh and right into Belmont of Wayne County. Route 196 now closely follows the original route of the North-South Road today.
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