They came in 1741 to find a place of their own, a home for their families, and a place where they could live in peace and worship God in freedom and reverence. Nicolaus Zinzendorf and David Nitschmann led a small group of Moravians to a fertile valley at the confluence of the Monocacy and Lehigh Rivers in eastern Pennsylvania. The story goes that Nicolaus (a bishop of the Moravian church) noted how the beautiful night sky reminded him of the birthplace of Jesus and so the newly founded mission site was christened “Bethlehem” on Christmas Eve in 1741.2 Not surprisingly, it was here in this small village that local history records that the first decorated Christmas tree in the United States was displayed.1 (Bethlehem is just one of several Pennsylvania towns inspired by Biblical sites such as Emmaus, Jordon Creek, and Nazareth.)2
The Moravians ministered to the Lenape Native Americans2 in the area and established a growing religious community in the area that continues today. But the peacefulness they sought in that valley would not linger too many years before the Industrial Revolution and its entrepreneurs found that the town was ideal for new things and progress on a different front. Nearby Allentown just northwest of Bethlehem was founded in 1762 and iron ore was discovered there in the 1840s3. Iron ore – pig iron – the main component in making steel…. steel which was needed by a young country on the move in order to build the bridges and buildings and ships and weapons that would be needed to prosper.
The Lehigh River at 109 miles long is a tributary of the Delaware River and ultimately the Delaware Bay – perfect for shipping goods down to Philadelphia and via the Atlantic to all parts of the world.
Both Allentown and Bethlehem became vibrant steel-producing cities. (Now, doesn’t that get you to humming Billy Joel’s “Allentown”4?)
Not to overwhelm you with too much history….but the first iron works facility was built – Saucona Iron Works – in Bethlehem on the Lehigh River in 1857. The name was later changed to Bethlehem Iron Works in 1861 and finally to Bethlehem Steel in 1899. Bethlehem Steel, which would quickly become one of the world’s largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies.
Once incorporated, Bethlehem’s first elected mayor was Archibald Johnston, not surprisingly, a Bethlehem Steel executive2.
During its time, Bethlehem Steel would prosper – “Among major buildings, Bethlehem produced steel for 28 Liberty Street, the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Center, and the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City and Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Among major bridges, Bethlehem’s steel was used in constructing the George Washington Bridge and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario.”2
My personal favorite on the list of accomplishments was provision of the iron that was used to build the 45.5’ steel axle for the world’s first Ferris wheel (264’ tall) created for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.2
While the Moravian community up on the hill would continue, it was Bethlehem Steel with its manufacturing plants at Sparrows Point, Maryland, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna, New York, and Burns Harbor, Indiana, that would dominate the growth and economy of the little town for more than 140 years until its closure.
So, all good things must end, I suppose, and that would include Bethlehem Steel (later to be merged with US Steel). The great furnaces that roared continuously night and day for eighty-one years from the first firing in 1863 were silenced forever in 1982. Finally, in 2003, the once mighty Bethlehem Steel was done.
It seems that there were many reasons for the demise of this great company – bad investments, mismanagement of pension plans, increasing competition from overseas companies, rising labor costs, less labor available altogether…. the list is a long one.
Today, Bethlehem is quiet and again (for the most part). The town itself thrives and is home to two universities – Lehigh University and the Moravian University.
As for the steel industry, the town has preserved its history in “The Steel Stacks” that remain down by the river. The area has been transformed into a park and event venue that is dominated by the old steel furnaces and industrial buildings. Most of the buildings are slowly but surely rotting away. All have been fenced in for safety of visitors and are no longer accessible. The “Stacks” themselves are also fenced in, but a catwalk has been built alongside the old infrastructure where visitors can walk and view the rusting furnaces of the abandoned mill. We spent an afternoon exploring the park and strolling along the catwalk gazing in amazement at the size and sheer “presence” of the steel stacks that dominated this valley for so many years.
As Billy Joel sang of “Allentown”3, you might also sing for Bethlehem, still vibrant but peaceful again after all these years.
“Well, we’re living here in Allentown
And they’re closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem, they’re killing time
Filling out forms, standing in line”4
Now you’re singing, right? So, take a moment – stop & listen: Billy Joel – Allentown (Official Video)
Bethlehem is in Pennsylvania just about 45 miles west of Philadelphia, 72 miles south of New York City, 197 miles northeast of Washington DC, and 149 miles northeast of Baltimore – easy to find and only a couple hours’ drive – just right for a daytrip. There is also a small museum at the site where you can learn lots more about Bethlehem Steel and enjoy a guided walking tour along the catwalk.
Sources for Information:
Birding Boomers 