Drs. Ned & Linda Heindel in 2021.
Dr. Ned Heindel, member of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society Board of Trustees, died June 27, 2023 at home in Williams Township. He was 85 years old. He was married to Dr. Linda (Heefner) Heindel for 63 years.
Ellen Shaughnessy, current President of the Board of Trustees, said, “Dr. Heindel lived his life in devotion to his wife, Linda, his family, dear friends, and colleagues. He was a prolific researcher and writer. Along with my fellow board members, I am so honored to have known and worked with Ned. I will always cherish his leadership, great enthusiasm and guidance from his time on the Board of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society.”
Megan van Ravenswaay, current Executive Director of Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society, said, “The staff and volunteers at NCHGS are deeply grieving the loss of Dr. Heindel. Along with his work on the Board of Trustees, he volunteered often to docent, present local history programs to the community, and contribute to exhibitions. He was a prolific author on a variety of historic subjects. We will deeply miss his kindness and his willingness to share his vast knowledge with the staff.”
Biography of Dr. Ned Heindel
During his over 40 years as a member of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society (NCHGS), Dr. Heindel provided strong support of NCHGS’s mission to share the stories of Northampton County’s past to encourage personal reflection, community dialogue, and an understanding of history’s impact on our lives.
As a member of the Board of Trustees he significantly increased NCHGS’s scholarship and publications. He was keenly interested in the preservation of the museum collection and historic structures. He was especially passionate about the Jane S. Moyer Library and Archives. He worked to ensure the collection was stored correctly, catalogued, and was accessible to the community.
Image of Dr. Ned Heindel in 1991.
Dr. Heindel was born on September 4, 1937 in Red Lion, PA, to Penrose Horace Heindel and Dorothy Mae (Strayer) Heindel. Ned graduated from Red Lion High School. He pursued chemistry at Lebanon Valley College (BS, 1959), University of Delaware (PhD, 1963), and a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University (1964).
During his career, he held teaching appointments at the University of Delaware, Ohio University, Marshall University, and Lehigh University. He completed 52 years of teaching/research service at Lehigh University, retiring in 2018. At that time, he transitioned to Distinguished Senior Research Scientist status until his death.
Dr. Heindel was awarded honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Lebanon Valley College and Albright College. He was also presented with dozens of awards for educational and research achievements.
After many years of serving on NCHGS committees and as a member, it was in 1991 that Dr. Heindel joined the NCHGS Board of Trustees. At that time he was a professor of chemistry at Lehigh University and the President of the Williams Township Historical Society. He had a deep interest in folk medicine, Pennsylvania German immigrants, and Williams Township history.
For more than 45 years, Dr. Heindel was a frequent contributor to magazine, newsletter, and newspaper articles. He published sixteen articles and five books on topics of regional and chemical history. His book Hexenkopf: History, Healing and Hexerei went through three editions and five printings. He also wrote Iron, Armor, and Adolescents: A History of Redington and the Carter Junior Republic, The 1863 Diary of Beates R. Swift, and (with Robert D. Rapp) The Nineteenth-Century Horse Doctor. His most recent publication was, Medicine, Music, and ‘Money’ Munyon, a biography of a colorful Pennsylvania patent medicine showman.
Drs. Linda & Ned Heindel in November 2021.
Ned served several historical organizations including the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society, the Science History Institute, the Williams Township Historical Society, and the Division of the History of Chemistry (ACS).
As avid advocates for land preservation, Drs. Ned and Linda Heindel donated the Hexenkopf Ridge, the Hexenkopf Rock, and the surrounding 77-acres to the County of Northampton for a nature preserve in 2020. They did so out of love for the land and their desire to see it remain pristine. The Heindels bought a house and a barn there in 1967 and gradually started acquiring land around it. Over the years, they amassed 143 acres. At that time, Dr. Heindel said, “It’s so beautiful. It has such diverse wildlife and plant life. It has well more than 50 identified plant species, many of them quite rare.”
Hexenkopf Rock held a special focus of interest and research for Dr. Heindel. In his book, Hexenkopf, History, Healing and Hexerei, he examined the traditions of both white and black magic in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He studied healers and their use of tonics, personalized prescriptions, and manipulations to treat sickness and fight off evil. Legend has it that 18th and 19th century healers transferred evil and sickness out of sufferers and sent it to the rock, which looks like a witch’s head. In 2020, during the donation of Hexenkopf Rock, Dr. Heindel joked, “Visitors need not fear the rock. The witches seem to have retired a long time ago.”
Dr. Heindel conducting a virtual program via YouTube in 2020.
The Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society will deeply mourn the loss of Dr. Heindel. His sense of humor, matched with his brilliant mind, his keen curiosity, and his gentle ability to share his knowledge with zeal will be deeply missed by the staff, volunteers, and Board of Trustees. NCHGS wraps their arms and hearts around Dr. Heindel’s wife and cherished NCHGS volunteer, Linda.
To view Dr. Heindel’s obituary, click here.
To view several virtual programs conducted by Dr. Heindel, visit the NCHGS YouTube channel here and the Lehigh Valley Passport to History YouTube channel here.
Please check back for an announcement regarding a Celebration of Life at Sigal Museum.