Wind Gap, the 500-foot notch in the Appalachian Mountains, and its namesake town clinging to the mountainside would be a perfect setting for a movie. Perched at 755 feet above sea level it lies on a path once traveled by Indians between their ancient villages along the Susquehanna River and those at the Falls of the Delaware. Today, the Borough of Wind Gap occupies about o... »
Established in 1753, Weisenberg and Lowhill Townships were originally part of the territory that William Penn’s sons purchased from the Lenni-Lenape tribe during the infamous Walking Purchase of 1737. Although Weisenberg was initially designated part of Northampton County, the township was transferred to Lehigh County in 1812. Lowhill Township is located adjacent to Weisen... »
In recent months, Allentown has taken on a fresh look – and fresh life – thanks to the introduction of several new restaurants and businesses in the downtown area. The central attraction in the newly emerging downtown area, the PPL Center is part of an overall $1-billion-dollar revitalization plan – a plan that is already garnering noticeable results. The opening of the ce... »
It’s a glowing symbol of the holidays. An event that thousands of Lehigh Valley residents look forward to each year. And a tradition stretching back more than six decades. Ever since the first Peace Candle was first lit in Centre Square in 1951, it has become synonymous with the holiday season in downtown Easton. But what you may not know is that the iconic structure is ac... »
Located in the southeast part of Lehigh County, Salisbury Township is tucked between Emmaus, Allentown and Bethlehem. At just over eleven square miles, it is one of the smallest townships in all of Pennsylvania. However, during the 18th Century, its residents played major roles in some of the most significant events of the era. Solomon Jennings and the Walking Purchase Alt... »
Located at the base of the Blue Mountain, the area now known as Bangor was originally settled as a small farming community around 1760. In the early 1800s, however, the discovery of a fine-grained sedimentary rock called “slate” prompted a dramatic transformation that would eventually revolutionize the entire region. Slate, which is naturally waterproof and can be easily s... »
Located off Franklin Street in Alburtis, the 59-acre Lock Ridge Furnace Museum and Park is perhaps the best-preserved example of the many iron-producing plants that once dominated the Lehigh Valley’s industrial landscape. Built in 1867-68, near the newly completed junction of the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad with the East Pennsylvania Railroad, the first of Lock Rid... »
From the Promenade Shops in Saucon Valley, to Bethlehem’s historic Main Street shopping district, the Lehigh Valley is home to a host of diverse shopping opportunities. But for many longtime residents, there is one destination that still brings back memories of a “golden era” of retail… a time when a fully enclosed, air-conditioned mall was an exciting, new idea… and when ... »
Located just south of Emmaus in Upper Milford Township, the tiny village of Vera Cruz is best know as home to some of the oldest jasper mines in North America. According to archeological records, the mines date back to the end of the last ice age and were first opened by Paleolithic people as early as 12,000 years ago. An incredibly hard opaque stone, jasper is a type of m... »
The Lehigh Valley’s third largest city, Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, just across the Delaware from New Jersey. Although not incorporated into a borough until 1789, Easton’s history stretches back to the mid-1700s when Thomas Penn, son of William Penn, acquired the land from Lenni Lenape natives through the now-infamous Walking Purc... »
