Like many regions of Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley has a strong history of railroading that greatly impacted the region. The railroad industry was built up thanks to the many steel mills and other factories that were present in the valley, and replaced the region’s canals….
On Christmas Eve 1741, a small group of Moravians and their benefactor, the German Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf, held a religious service to christen their new settlement. After observing the singing and atmosphere, Zinzendorf declared the new settlement to be known as Bethlehem. The fact that…
One of the most historic and imposing sites in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is the Steel Stacks. Once part of the large Bethlehem Steel factory that took up a large portion of the south shores of the Lehigh River, this series of five blast furnaces were built…
Every year, millions of people see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. However, did you know that the Liberty Bell was once hidden away under the basement floorboards of a church in Allentown, Pennsylvania? By visiting the Liberty Bell Museum, you can learn about one of…
One of my favorite ways to explore the back roads in Pennsylvania is to search for Pennsylvania’s historic covered bridges. On a recent visit to the Lehigh Valley, I had the chance to explore the area’s beautiful covered bridges. After seeing the six covered bridges…
William Penn’s desire to create a colony with the freedom of religion drew many persecuted groups to Pennsylvania. Some are well-known today, such as the Amish, while others have been largely forgotten, such as those at Ephrata Cloister. However, there’s one group that isn’t often thought…
While the history isn’t widely known, Allentown, Pennsylvania, played an important role in the development of the automobile. It was in the city in 1889 that Henry Nedig created one of the world’s first gas-powered cars. His creation, the Nadig Gas-Powered Carriage, was so new that…
Pennsylvania has a rich industrial history. From the discovery of coal, to the state’s vast forests and oil reserves, there have been many industries that impacted the state over the years. However, few of these industries are as synonymous with the state as the steel industry….
At one point of time, Pennsylvania had over 1,300 miles of canals, more than any other state in the country. This mode of transportation was popular during the 18th and 19th century before railroads could transport goods from one region of the state to another. Canals…
When I pulled up to the Lehigh Valley Heritage Center in Allentown, I thought for a minute that I was in the wrong place. The large, modern building didn’t seem to jive with the typical historical society museum in Pennsylvania, which is usually in a historic…
