Because You Live Here

Bangor’s Slate Industry

Bangor’s Slate Industry

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... »

Lock Ridge Furnace Museum & Park

Lock Ridge Furnace Museum & Park

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... »

Shopping Gem of the Golden Era

Shopping Gem of the Golden Era

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 ... »

The Ancient Jasper Mines of Vera Cruz

The Ancient Jasper Mines of Vera Cruz

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... »

Easton – Before the 20th Century

Easton – Before the 20th Century

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... »

Wilson Borough

Wilson Borough

Wilson Borough’s roots go back to 1912, when area residents first talked about creating a separate community out of a portion of Palmer Township. That year, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson was challenging incumbent William Howard Taft in the presidential election. The residents decided that their new community would be named after whoever won. So when Woodrow Wilson wen... »

Northampton

Northampton

Incorporated on May 6, 1901, Northampton was originally named the “Borough of Alliance” in reference to its unification of several smaller communities and hamlets, the two largest of which were Northampton and Siegfried in eastern Allen Township. But while the name had symbolic meaning, “Alliance” never gained popular support.  Instead, the post offices in Northampton and ... »

Trexlertown

Trexlertown

Located between Breinigsville and Wescosville, Trexlertown is the oldest town in Upper Macungie Township. Named for Jeremiah Trexler, who owned and operated a tavern in the early 1730s, the town prospered after a public road was laid from Trexler’s property through Zionsville, Shimersville and North Wales to Philadelphia. Today, Trexlertown is home to approximately 2,000 p... »

Southside Bethlehem

Southside Bethlehem

Best known as the home of Lehigh University, the Steel Stacks Campus and the Sands Casino Resort, Southside Bethlehem has a rich history born from diverse immigrant roots. Located just south of the Lehigh River, the 274-acre tract of land that is today Southside Bethlehem was originally intended to serve as a buffer between the deeply religious Moravians of North Bethlehem... »

Hellertown

Hellertown

Nestled in the Saucon Valley, southeast of Bethlehem, the borough of Hellertown is a charming blend of historic Victorian buildings and contemporary architecture. Settled in the mid-18th century, Hellertown is named for Christopher Heller, one of the borough’s earliest residents. He and his six sons immigrated to the New World from Amsterdam in the fall of 1738. In 1746, C... »

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