Tucked away in the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Clayton Park rests on the northwestern shore of 310 acre Lake Henry in Maplewood. Lake Henry, formerly known as Silkman's Pond and also known as Blueberry Lake, is located in Wayne County, which is home to more lakes than any other county in Pennsylvania. During the 1800's, Henry Silkman, a man of education and wealth for whom Lake Henry is named, created a dam and expanded the former Cobb Pond, flooding a portion of Garret Van Sickle's farm land to do so. Silkman carried on and profited from commercial enterprises on the lake, including an ice house, a chair factory, and a picnic grove entertaining Scranton socialites, until modern refrigeration took over and the trains from Scranton stopped running to Lake Henry. 

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Garret Van Sickle did not object to the flooding of his land, given his love of fishing. However, Silkman used his elite wealth and power to seek control of Garret Van Sickle's land and all of Lake Henry to exclude Garret and his heirs from using the lake. Two gunfights were initiated by Silkman against the Van Sickles. In the first gunfight, Silkman confronted Garret on the lake and shot a hole in Garret's boat. As his boat sank, Garret jumped into Silkman's boat and a scuffle ensued capsizing Silkman's boat and throwing both men in the water, leaving both men to swim to shore and go their separate ways. 

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Silkman initiated a second gunfight when he confronted Garret's son John, a Methodist deacon, out fishing with his friend. Silkman shouted after John and his friend to exit the lake, and when they refused to do so, Silkman shot and wounded both of them with buckshot. Charges were pressed on both sides, and Van Sickle was collecting witnesses for his day in court, when associates of both parties suggested they get together and settle their dispute. It is reported the men agreed to settle their differences and charges were dropped by both parties; a regular "love feast."