Where Arrowhead Lake Began
Arrowhead Lake is known today as a private, year-round community tucked among the forests and lakes of Tobyhanna Township, but its story reaches back well before the first homes, beaches, and neighborhood roads. Like much of the Pocono Lake region, Arrowhead’s earliest modern development was closely tied to the railroad, the timber industry, and the winter business of harvesting natural ice.
In the late 1800s, the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Branch of the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway helped open the mountain region to commerce and tourism. The rail line ran near what is now Route 940, bringing people and supplies into an area that had previously been far more remote. Enterprising local businessmen recognized that the cold Pocono winters could be profitable. They cleared land, dammed streams, and created lakes where thick sheets of ice could be cut, stored, and shipped for use in homes and businesses.
Arrowhead Lake was one of several man-made lakes created during this period, along with Brady’s Lake, Pocono Lake, and Lake Naomi. Long before electric refrigerators became common, these frozen lakes were part of an important regional industry.
How Arrowhead Lake Got Its Name
The exact origin of the name *Arrowhead Lake* is not clearly recorded in the community’s published history. Unlike some nearby places whose names are connected to a person, Native American word, or historic family, Arrowhead appears to have been adopted as the name of the lake and later the residential development.
The name has a natural fit for the Pocono landscape. “Arrowhead” suggests the woods, hunting traditions, and Native American heritage associated with the broader region, while also giving the community a distinctive identity for vacation-home buyers. Today, that name lives on through Arrowhead Drive, Arrowhead Lake Community Association, and the many references to “the Lake” shared by residents.
Although the original naming story may not be preserved in a single formal document, the name has become part of the neighborhood’s heritage—recognizable throughout Pocono Lake and the surrounding mountain communities.
From Ice Harvesting to a Mountain Retreat
The ice business eventually declined as electric refrigeration spread through American homes. Once the lake no longer served its original commercial purpose, the property entered a new chapter. The Robbins Door & Sash Company acquired Arrowhead Lake and used the area for recreation and business hospitality. The company constructed the Lodge as a place to entertain business guests.
The Lodge remains one of the community’s most recognizable historic features. While its role has changed over time, it continues to serve as a gathering place, now offering amenities such as a library, fitness room, billiards, indoor activities, and community programming. Its continued use is a good example of how Arrowhead has preserved its past while adapting to modern life.
The 1963 Turning Point
A major milestone came in November 1963, when All-American Realty Company purchased Arrowhead Lake. The company placed approximately 1,250 acres on the market, divided into Sections 1 through 7. At first, the community offered only a modest collection of amenities:
- Two tennis courts near the Lodge
- Beaches 1 and 2
- A small ski slope with a rope tow
- Lakeside property and wooded residential lots
The early development reflected the classic Pocono vacation-community model: modest chalets, seasonal cottages, outdoor recreation, and an emphasis on escaping city life. Many of the first homes were simple mountain retreats where families gathered during summer weekends, winter holidays, and school vacations.
Homeowners Shape the Community
Arrowhead’s history is also the story of residents taking an active role in shaping their neighborhood. Some early homeowners became dissatisfied with the management of the development and believed that property owners needed a stronger voice in decisions affecting roads, recreation, lakes, and shared facilities.
On the Sunday before Memorial Day in 1967, homeowners gathered at Beach 2. That meeting led to the formation of the Arrowhead Lake Community Association, with Nick Yacur elected as its first president. The Association began communicating residents’ concerns to the realty company and advocating for improvements.
In 1968, Arrowhead Lake Community Association was legally incorporated. Its stated purpose included promoting the interests of members in the community’s social and recreational facilities, roads, lakes, and activities, while also serving as a liaison between homeowners and public or private organizations.
That structure remains central to Arrowhead’s identity. The neighborhood is not simply a collection of houses around a lake; it is an organized community built around shared amenities, common responsibilities, and resident participation.
Landmark Years: 1969 and 1970
The years 1969 and 1970 brought some of Arrowhead Lake’s most important early improvements. In 1969, the clubhouse was completed, along with the bridge over Trout Creek and the eastern end of the Main Lake, including Beach 3. These additions connected different parts of the growing development and expanded opportunities for recreation and social gatherings.
That same year also saw the publication of the first community newsletter. Eventually named *Smoke Signals*, the newsletter became a continuing record of Arrowhead life, documenting announcements, events, community decisions, and memories across generations.
Arrowhead welcomed the new decade with its first New Year’s Eve party, a tradition that reflected the community’s transition from a collection of vacation properties into a more connected neighborhood.
In 1970, the North Lake was completed, Sections 8 through 12 were opened for sale, and the Island Pool was added. These projects helped establish the two-lake layout and broad recreation program that residents recognize today.
Streets, Lakes, and Places That Tell the Story
Driving through Arrowhead today, names such as Arrowhead Drive and Wysox Trail connect the modern neighborhood to the older Pocono landscape. The roads wind through heavily wooded sections, past seasonal cottages, newer year-round homes, and quiet stretches where the forest remains the dominant feature.
The community’s landmarks are primarily shared outdoor and gathering spaces rather than formal historic buildings. The Lodge, Clubhouse, Beaches 1 through 4, the Main Lake, North Lake, Island Pool, and Trout Creek bridge all represent different stages of Arrowhead’s development.
Beyond the gates, local history can be explored through nearby landmarks along Route 940 and Old Route 940. The Tobyhanna Township Historical Association’s driving tour highlights the region’s ice-harvesting industry, the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad, Pocono Lake Cemetery, the First Fire Company and Clymer Library, the Stagecoach Inn, and other reminders of the area’s earlier communities.
How Arrowhead Has Evolved
Arrowhead Lake has changed considerably since the 1960s. What began primarily as a seasonal resort community has become a four-season neighborhood, with many residents living here throughout the year. Homes have grown larger and more varied, roads and infrastructure have been improved, and the amenity program has expanded to include multiple pools, beaches, sports courts, playgrounds, picnic areas, boating, fishing, and organized activities.
Yet the community’s essential character remains familiar. The lakes still anchor daily life. The wooded roads still create a sense of privacy. The Lodge and beaches still provide places for neighbors to gather, and the Association continues the tradition of resident involvement begun at Beach 2 in 1967.
That continuity is what makes Arrowhead Lake special. Its heritage is not confined to one old building or a single founding family. It lives in the preserved lakes, the familiar street names, the *Smoke Signals* newsletter, the sound of children at the beaches, and the stories passed from longtime homeowners to newcomers.
For generations, people have come to Arrowhead Lake seeking a quieter pace and a closer connection to the outdoors. They found more than a vacation destination. They found a community—one shaped by railroads, ice harvesters, builders, homeowners, and the enduring appeal of life in the Pocono woods.