by Kurt A. Reed (Author)
The modern day village of Lake Ariel is located in Lake Township. The town and the surrounding area have a long and colorful heritage. The early pioneers settled at the southern end of the lake and established the area known as Jonestown and Jones Lake. The northern end of the lake was initially called No. 19, for the stationary steam engine on the Pennsylvania Coal Company's Gravity Railroad. While one newspaper account claims that the lake was named for a spirit in Shakespeare's Tempest, another claimed the lake was renamed Lake Ariel from Isaiah 29, the home of David. Around Lake Ariel features historic images of the steam launches and the amusement park that drew hordes of vacationers to the area, as well as the summer homes of many of Scranton's leaders that were built along the lake's shores.