PA Museums

Exploring the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County

A collage of four photos taken at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA. The top left image shows the front entrance of the museum, a white colonial-style building with columns and a ramp leading up to the porch. The top right image displays an interior exhibit featuring Native American artifacts, including a mounted deer head, traditional weapons, and tools. The bottom left image showcases a green exhibit with stone tools and weapons such as an atlatl, spear thrower, post mold, and awl, along with illustrative drawings. The bottom right image captures the gift shop, highlighting a variety of Native American-themed jewelry, dreamcatchers, and clothing, arranged on shelves and racks in a rustic setting.

If you’re looking for information about visiting the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, you’re in the right place!

The exterior of the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring a white wooden building with a red roof. A large painted mural of a Delaware Indian is displayed prominently on the wall, alongside a sign indicating a 30-minute self-guided tour. The building is surrounded by trees, emphasizing the museum's location in the scenic Pocono Mountains.

The Pocono Indian Museum highlights the rich history and culture of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware Indians, the original inhabitants of the Pocono Mountains.

A diorama at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring a life-sized model of a Delaware Indian hunter holding a spear. Behind the figure is a mounted deer head with antlers, emphasizing the importance of hunting in the Delaware Indians' way of life. The hunter is depicted wearing traditional clothing, including a fringed apron with a turtle motif, and a necklace, creating an immersive representation of historical hunting practices.

The museum features a range of exhibits centered on the Lenape’s ancient tools, pottery, art, and crafts, offering visitors insight into the Lenape traditions and way of life.

An exhibit at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, showcasing Native American pottery. The display features several stages of pottery creation, with labeled sections for coiling, building, shaping, and finishing. Various clay pots, both complete and in fragments, are displayed on green platforms, demonstrating the craftsmanship of the Delaware Indians. The exhibit includes a descriptive plaque explaining the pottery-making process, providing educational insight into traditional Native American art and techniques.

Directions | Hours | Admission Fees

The Pocono Indian Museum is located at 5905 Milford Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18302.

The museum is open seven days a week, from 10 am to 5 pm.

The front entrance of the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring a grand white colonial-style building with tall columns and a balcony. The entrance is adorned with greenery, and a wooden ramp leads up to the porch. The word "Museum" is prominently displayed on the columns, and an "Open" sign is visible in one of the windows. The surrounding lawn is well-maintained, with blooming flowers adding a touch of color to the scene.

Admission fees are: Adults: $7.00 | Kids 6-16: $3.50 | Kids under 6: Free.

A display at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring various Native American artifacts. The exhibit includes a mounted deer head, a Sioux war bonnet from circa 1830, and a collection of traditional weapons in a red-framed case. There is also a historical map of the region, portraits, and other memorabilia on the wooden walls. This exhibit provides a rich visual representation of Native American heritage and history, showcasing the tools and attire used by different tribes.

What You’ll See at the Pocono Indian Museum

Upon entering the museum, you’ll find meticulously curated exhibits that showcase a variety of Native American artifacts.

An exhibit at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring a collection of Native American relics. The display includes framed cases containing traditional weapons, tools, and a beaded necklace, as well as a mounted deer head. Photographs and informational plaques provide historical context. The rustic wooden walls enhance the cultural ambiance, showcasing the craftsmanship and heritage of the Delaware Indians. The exhibit offers an in-depth look at the artifacts used in daily life and ceremonial practices.

A 30-minute pre-recorded, hand-held audio tour guides you through all the exhibits in the museum, providing detailed information about each exhibit.

A visitor holding an audio tour device illuminated by a blue light at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA. In the background, a map depicting the historical layout of the Delaware Indians' territory is visible, adding context to the museum's exhibits. The rustic wooden walls enhance the historical ambiance, creating an immersive educational experience.

The exhibits are arranged chronologically, from the arrival of the first Native Americans across the Bering Land Bridge to their eventual exit from Pennsylvania in the face of European migration.

A painted map at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, depicting the land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska around 32,000 years ago and again around 13,000 BC. The map illustrates how early humans could cross this glacial corridor, explaining the presence of humans in North America. The visual display includes arrows and figures indicating migration patterns, set against a background of green land masses and blue ocean, providing a historical context for the museum's exhibits on the Delaware Indians.

One exhibit depicts a typical Delaware village scene during the Woodland Period (1000 B.C. to 1700 A.D.).

A diorama at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, depicting a typical Delaware village scene during the Woodland Period. The display features miniature models of longhouses, crops, and a surrounding landscape of lush, green hills. A plaque provides historical context, explaining the village setup and the Delaware Indians' reliance on agriculture. The backdrop is painted to represent the natural environment, enhancing the realism of the village scene.

A plaque explains that by 1400 A.D., the Delaware Indians lived in family dwellings called longhouses and relied more on agriculture than hunting.

An exhibit at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, depicting a typical Delaware village scene during the Woodland Period (1000 B.C. to 1700 A.D.). The display includes miniature representations of crops and storage pits for food forage. A plaque explains that by 1400 A.D., the Delaware Indians lived in family dwellings called longhouses and relied more on agriculture than hunting. It also details the process of preparing hides for use in clothing, home building, and weapon making. The background features a painted mural of the village environment.

Visitors then walk through a replica of a longhouse, to get a better sense of how the Lenape of this time period would have lived.

A replica of a Delaware Indian longhouse at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA. The interior features wooden frames and supports, with animal hides draped over wooden beds and a dirt floor. The dim lighting and authentic materials create an immersive experience, allowing visitors to visualize the living conditions of the Delaware Indians. The exhibit provides a detailed and tangible representation of traditional Native American architecture and lifestyle.

The museum also features a display of stone tools and weapons used by the Delaware Indians, such as an atlatl, spear thrower, and stone axe.

An exhibit at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, showcasing various stone tools and weapons used by the Delaware Indians. The display features labeled items such as a bola, atlatl (spear thrower), stone axe, awl, and postmold, along with illustrations demonstrating their use. The tools and weapons are arranged on a green background, with some items mounted on the wall and others displayed on shelves and in a glass case. This exhibit highlights the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Delaware Indians in crafting essential tools for hunting and daily life.

Another exhibit details the materials and methods used to make spear points and arrowheads.

An exhibit at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, displaying the materials used to make arrowheads and spear points. The display includes labeled samples of flint, jasper, and quartz, each mounted on wooden blocks. Framed collections of finished arrowheads and spear points are visible in the background. This exhibit highlights the natural resources utilized by the Delaware Indians for crafting tools and weapons, emphasizing their skill and ingenuity.

Between the pre-recorded audio narration and the signage accompanying each exhibit, you get a fairly thorough overview of each artifact and diorama in the museum.

A plaque at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, describing the process of making projectile points by the Delaware Indians. It explains that the display represents the types of stones used, such as quartz, flint, and jasper, which fracture in leaflike pieces, making them ideal for spear and arrow points. The text details how different periods in history saw variations in the shapes of points and notes that over time, the craftsmanship became less intricate. The plaque provides insight into the materials and techniques used in creating these essential tools.

The museum includes an exhibit on herbal remedies, showcasing the traditional medicinal plants used by the Delaware Indians.

A display at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, showcasing various herbal remedies used by the Delaware Indians. The exhibit features illustrations of plants like ginseng, laurel, and cardinal flower, along with detailed descriptions of their medicinal uses. Below the illustrations, a glass case contains samples of different herbs and barks, each labeled with information on their parts used and preparation methods. This educational exhibit highlights the traditional knowledge and practices of the Delaware Indians in utilizing natural resources for healing purposes.

This display highlights the various herbs, their preparation methods, and their significance in Delaware culture.

An exhibit at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring an illustration of the ginseng plant (Panax quinquefolium) with its root and leaves. The display includes detailed information on the preparation and use of ginseng by the Lenape people, highlighting its significance as a potent medicinal plant used for making tea and other remedies. The exhibit is framed and provides an educational insight into the traditional herbal knowledge of the Delaware Indians.

As you make your way through the exhibits, you can’t help but admire the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Lenape in crafting the essential tools for daily life in what we now call Pennsylvania.

A diorama at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, depicting a Delaware Indian woman preparing food. The wooden cutout figure is shown grinding corn with stone tools, surrounded by ears of corn and other stone implements, set against a dark background. This exhibit highlights traditional food preparation techniques and the daily life of the Delaware Indians.

The museum also features a comprehensive gift shop.

The interior of the gift shop at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, showcasing glass display cases filled with Native American pottery, dolls, jewelry, and other artifacts. The shop features a variety of items labeled as "Native Made," including a totem pole figure and traditional headdresses. Shelves are stocked with a wide range of books and other merchandise, and the rustic wooden decor enhances the cultural and historical ambiance of the space.

The shop includes a variety of Native American-themed jewelry, dreamcatchers, and clothing.

A section of the gift shop at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, showcasing a variety of Native American-themed jewelry, dreamcatchers, and clothing. The display includes racks of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, along with traditional fringed jackets and decorative items. The rustic wooden shelves and walls enhance the cultural ambiance, and the shop is well-lit, inviting visitors to explore the diverse selection of authentic Native American crafts and souvenirs.

Upstairs you’ll find a book department with over 650 titles on Native American tribes, history, customs, and medicines.

A section of the gift shop at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring shelves filled with a wide variety of books about Native American tribes, history, customs, and medicines. The books are neatly organized and labeled by tribe, providing an extensive reference collection for visitors. The well-lit area invites guests to explore the rich literary resources available, enhancing their understanding of the Delaware Indians and other Native American cultures.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are a history enthusiast, a family looking for an educational outing, or someone interested in indigenous cultures, the Pocono Indian Museum has something to offer.

A display case at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, showcasing various Native American pipes against a red backdrop. The exhibit includes intricately decorated pipes, spears, and staffs, each adorned with beadwork, feathers, and fringes. The craftsmanship highlights the cultural and ceremonial significance of these items. The display provides insight into the traditional artistry of the Delaware Indians.

The combination of historical artifacts, informative exhibits, and a well-stocked gift shop ensures that every visitor leaves with a deeper appreciation of the Delaware Indians’ legacy in the Poconos.

A display at the Pocono Indian Museum in Monroe County, PA, featuring a portrait of Nora Thompson Dean, also known as Touching Leaves. The accompanying plaque identifies her as the last full-blooded American Delaware Indian. She is depicted wearing traditional attire, including beaded jewelry and a necklace, highlighting her significant cultural heritage.

Nearby Attractions

7 Must-See Attractions in Monroe County showcases more remarkable sights and experiences near the Pocono Indian Museum.

A collage of four images highlighting attractions in Monroe County, Pennsylvania: the top left shows a hiker admiring Rattlesnake Falls cascading through a mossy woodland setting; the top right features the colorful entrance and vendor booths inside Olde Engine Works Market Place; the bottom left displays framed illustrations and sculptures in a gallery room at the Frazetta Art Museum; and the bottom right captures the rushing waters of Tumbling Waters surrounded by lush green forest.

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