Still Changing, Still HomeNorthampton County Since the 1950s
Learn how our community has grown and changed.
What’s your story?
Explore the stories, people, and places of your community. This updated history of Northampton County is written by veteran journalist Glenn Kranzley and published by NCHGS with funding from the County of Northampton.
The book is Northampton County’s first official history in 64 years. Kranzley compiled these accounts through nearly 100 interviews with people who were leaders or who observed civic life over the decades, and dozens of photographs – many of which had never been published before – help tell their stories.
“It was a godsend that people who were involved with government or other institutions going back to the 1950s still were alive and willing to be interviewed,” Kranzley said. “I was well-versed in the idea that newspapers write ‘the first draft of history,’ so it was an honor to be able to write a new draft.”
Copies of the book are available for purchase in the Sigal Museum store, and through our online shop.
“Home in Lebanese Town” – Downtown Easton, 1960s
Urban renewal projects disperse a tight-knit community. But, it turns out, the home is in the people. See why they still thrive today.
Easton’s Lebanese Town, also known as Fourth and Lehigh, was a vibrant community known for its ethnic diversity. 1960s surveys show the community was approximately 20% Lebanese, 30% black, 25% Italian/Sicilian, and 25% identified as Greek, Pennsylvania Dutch, or simply “American.” During this time, federal urban renewal programs were seeking to revive downtown neighborhoods and increase economic profitability. These programs identified “slum” neighborhoods and marked them for demolition. When the city announced it would demolish Lebanese Town, residents felt that the true goal was to remove non-white or foreign families from the downtown area. Objections, petitions, and protests began in earnest; all were rejected. Urban renewal scattered this integrated neighborhood across the city, destroying tight-knit enclaves and demolishing homes, businesses, and houses of worship in the process.
While families no longer live in Lebanese Town, the community continues to thrive due to the importance of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church. Lebanese Heritage Days are held annually and feature bilingual liturgical services, homemade Lebanese food, music, and dance performances. While urban renewal succeeded in destroying a physical community, it could not destroy the community that lived in its residents’ hearts, minds, and memories.
Learn more about Lebanese Town on page 210 of Still Changing, Still Home Northampton County Since the 1950s.
“The Hand That Feeds” – Northampton County, 1970s
In the midst of poor market conditions and excessive development, agriculture struggles to survive. But, it turns out, people love the farms as much as they need them. See how they still hold their ground.
20th-century industrialization re-shaped Northampton County’s agricultural sector. After WWII, young men left farming jobs and flocked to work offering shorter days and higher wages. Farms became fewer; those that survived strategized how to remain economically viable. The result, paradoxically, was to increase farm size. From 1950 to 2007, while the number of farms declined regionally, the average farm size doubled. As per-unit prices of products dropped, farmers needed to produce more units and thus needed more acreage for production. Farmers also limited production to one or two commodities, aided by developments in agricultural methods and equipment. This industrialized hyper-focus allowed for more efficient cost- and time-saving production and harvest.
And there has always been a market for farm-fresh produce. Founded in 1752, the Easton Farmers’ Market proudly stakes its claim as “the oldest, continuous open-air farmers’ market in the United States” In 2005, the EFM instated a ruling allowing only Pennsylvania vendors to rent space at the Market. Offering seasonal favorites and unparalleled quality produce, the Easton Farmers’ Market continues to bring the community together to support small, local businesses, encourage sustainability, and preserve the region’s agricultural heritage.
Learn more about Northampton County’s agricultural history on page 19 of Still Changing, Still Home Northampton County Since the 1950s.
“A Prize for Peace” – Southside Bethlehem, 1970s
Racial tensions reach a breaking point one Thanksgiving eve and violence ensues. But, it turns out, the pen is mightier. See how truth and peace prevailed.
By 1970, major cities across the United States were engulfed in race riots, drawing attention to rampant inequality in both the political and social spheres. Bethlehem was no exception to this inequality and saw its own share of increased racial tensions, which reached a breaking point one Thanksgiving eve. On November 25, 1970, a popular bar at Bethlehem’s Five Points intersection called the Ye Olde Ale House became the scene of a fight that spilled out onto the sidewalk. Police took 23 people into custody and charged them with conspiracy. Most charges were, eventually, dropped.
While the scene was occurring, a Bethlehem Police Officer named John A. Stein resigned in protest, handing over his badge, gun belt, and revolver to Mayor Payrow. The following year, Stein published a series of front-page articles in The Bethlehem Globe Times, detailing the racial profiling he saw while on duty the previous summer. A further series of editorials called upon the city government to provide more services to young people and bridge gaps between city residents. John Strohmeyer, the editor of The Bethlehem Globe Times, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in recognition for the role his editorials played in their efforts to ease racial tensions in Bethlehem. As of 2013, it remained the only Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to a Lehigh Valley publication.
Learn more about Bethlehem’s black community on page 230 of Still Changing, Still Home Northampton County Since the 1950s.
“Giving the Arts a Voice” – Northampton County, 1980s
Locals are divided on using arts and culture to revitalize a downtown area. But, it turns out, the arts are contagious. See how they brought new life to town.
As production at Bethlehem Steel began to slow, entrepreneurs and innovators looked for alternative options to sustain the city. The Bethlehem Area Chamber of Commerce approached Jeff Parks, a local attorney, who proposed a creative solution: since Bethlehem Steel had been a key component of the city’s identity, the best plan was to give residents and visitors a new connection to downtown – a new vision for the future – while still honoring the past.
The answer lay in artistic and historic tourism, in capitalizing on Bethlehem’s rich history and traditions. But was tourism sustainable as an industry? City residents debated both positive and negative outcomes, including overcrowded parking and increasing noise levels. The solution to these questions? Musikfest, a 10-day festival held every August that began in 1984. ArtsQuest, the non-profit organization that now runs Musikfest, later opened a visual arts center in 1998 that includes over 20 residential art studios and three exhibit galleries. ArtsQuest’s latest expansion is SteelStacks, inspired by Parks’ trip to Germany, where he saw how respectfully the country preserved its historic sites. SteelStacks is a creative re-use of the former Bethlehem Steel plant, proving that tourism can move us into the future while still honoring what once made us prosper.
Learn more about Bethlehem’s artistic and cultural revival on page 270 of Still Changing, Still Home Northampton County Since the 1950s.
“The Unassuming Citizen” – Downtown Bethlehem, 1980s
Development plans threaten the beautiful Monocacy Creek Watershed. But, it turns out, Mother Nature had an ally in one sly Fox. See how she changed hearts and minds.
Gertrude Fox championed the protection of the water quality of the Monocacy Creek and was a founding member of Burnside Plantation, now a part of Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites. She convinced property developers to adopt land-use policies that would not harm the streams or the environment. A student of science and engineering, she worked as an industrial biologist at Bethlehem Steel, and later at Moravian Academy teaching math and science. Her background allowed her to accurately study land developers’ plans and propose the most environmentally responsible options.
Gertie, as she was affectionately known, could be one sly character! She would dress in unassuming clothing and sit silently in the back of the room at public meetings, knitting with her head down. When the time came for public comments, Gertie stood unhesitatingly and boldly to ask pointed policy questions and offer constructive, detailed comments. Her dedication inspired many to act on environmental issues. Congressional Representative Paul McGale of the PA 15th District called her “one of the most tenacious fighters I have ever met.” In 1990, President George H. W. Bush presented her with the first Theodore Roosevelt Conversation Award. John Stoffa said of Gertie’s passing in 1995, “It will be a long time before any one person fills the void left by her death. She was in a class by herself.”
Learn more about Gertrude “Gertie” Fox on page 253 of Still Changing, Still Home Northampton County Since the 1950s.