The Town

The village of Milford was laid out by John Biddis in 1796.  He named the streets after his children and family, and the lanes after his favorite fruits and berries. 

The Harrington House driveway is actually part of Raspberry Lane.  Judge Biddis took his inspiration from the design of Philadelphia, the nation’s first capitol. 

Some say the name Milford came from Milford Haven in Wales, where John Biddis’ father William was born. Others say the Wells’ mill and the spot where the Delaware was forded resulted in the name Mill-Ford. 

Milford Borough was Incorporated on December 25, 1874.  Prior to that, Milford was part of Milford Township.  Back then, settlers and Native Americans who lived here enjoyed the blessings of rich forests, beautiful lakes, and the fresh waters of the Delaware River and the streams that feed into it.  We invite you to do the same.

Milford is considered the Home of the American Conservation Movement and no visit to Milford is complete without visiting Grey Towers, the home of the French Huguenot family, the Pinchots, who came here in the early 1800′s, and whose descendants are still active in Milford.  Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the Forestry Service under President Teddy Roosevelt. 

Gifford Pinchot is credited with coining and popularizing the term Conservation.”  The Yale School of Forestry, which had its summer program in Milford from 1901 to 1926, provided the leadership for many of the forest conservationists in America, and in other parts of the world.

Gifford’s father, James Pinchot, a patron of the Hudson River School, and proponent of modern scientific forestry, endowed the Yale Forest School in 1900, and also the Milford Experimental Forest – America’s first experimental forest.  America’s great conservation leaders: from Presidents to company heads, at some time or other came to Milford, often staying either at Grey Towers, or the Hotel Fauchère.  Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, Supreme Court Justice Brandis, and countless others spent time in Milford, and in one form or another shaped the view of society toward conservation.

Milford is host to many festivals and activities throughout the year including the Milford Music Festival in the summer, the Black Bear Film Festival in the fall and the  Winter Lights Festival in January.

Interesting local sites include the Historic Milford Theatre, Upper Mill Historic Grist Mill and the Pike County Historical Society, home of the Lincoln Flag.

A complete listing of Milford businesses, services and calendar of events can be found at www.milfordpa.us.