For almost 13 years, Elena Pascal has had a front row seat in Allentown’s West End Theatre District of Allentown. “I always felt an affinity for this part of Allentown, a nice little area where small businesses have blossomed,” says Pascal, whose BoutiqueToGo at 522 N. 19th St., which sells women’s clothing and accessories, sits across from the Civic Theatre of Allentown, ... »
Just south of Hellertown in northern Bucks County where Routes 412 and 212 converge lies the small, quiet village of Springtown, where sturdy pre-Revolutionary War through 19th-century structures, barns, and outbuildings present tangible reminders of its agrarian, independent past. Designated as a National Historic District in 2007, Springtown has about 30 extant structure... »
SOMETIMES BIG THINGS START IN SMALL PLACES. From the glacial bogs at Pocono Peak Lake in Lehigh Township flow the headwaters of the Lehigh River. The river, 109 miles long and the Delaware River’s second largest tributary, starts out less than a yard wide at the spillway of the lake’s dam. “It’s the focal point of our community, our prime amenity,” says Dan Dougherty Jr., ... »
With festivities abuzz and lights aglow, it’s fitting for Bethlehem to be known around the world as Christmas City. The earliest inspiration for this moniker came in 1741 when Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf and a group of Moravian missionaries settled along Monocacy Creek, naming the area Bethlehem on Christmas Eve that same year. O Little Town of Bethlehem In 1937, ... »
For years, Milford Square has always been a quiet, rural community between Quakertown and Pennsburg. But now, with Route 663 and a popular entrance to the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension, major changes have begun. One of seven historic villages in Milford Township, located in far northwestern Bucks County, Milford Square is situated in the middle of the townshi... »
Boulton may not be the most recognizable place name in the Lehigh Valley, but the Henry family who settled there holds a distinctive place in the history of American gun making, outfitting American soldiers who fended off the British for the second time, the fur trade, and Union troops in the Civil War. No one lives there anymore, but Boulton is still a large piece of land... »
When Zac Jaindl looks out onto the Lehigh River from either side of Allentown’s Tilghman Street bridge, the river looks more like a lake than a river. Dammed on both sides to control flooding, the Lehigh River at that location “is perfect for boating — it’s fully navigable, which means you’ll see kayaks, jet skis, and motorboats from spring to fall,” says Jaindl, chief ope... »
In the early 18th century, settlers left Berks County and western Lehigh County and headed east in search of better soil to grow crops and livestock. They came to what is now the northwestern corner of Whitehall Township because of its rich soil and named the place Egypta, later Egypt, because it reminded them of the fertile Nile delta, “the granary of the world.” At first... »
Lehigh Valley residents of a certain age may remember entering Dorney Park on Haines Mill Road via Cetronia, a village on the southern tip of South Whitehall Township bordering Allentown’s West End. Like most places in the area, the village of 2,115 people has experienced change since it was settled centuries ago. But Cetronia still reflects a rugged, agrarian Pennsylvania... »
So often the approaching holidays ignite a spark that sends consumers everywhere into an almost robotic spending spree. All of the shiny new gadgets, sparkly jewelry, flashing toys, and warm, woolen clothes beckon with lofty promises, and often, equally lofty price tags. With cabinets, closets, and toy boxes in most homes already brimming with, well, more than enough stuff... »
