The Coal Iron Steel and Canals of the
Delaware and Lehigh Valleys
The Delaware
& Lehigh five county region of Northeastern Pennsylvania developed
in the late 18
th Century as a result of the anthracite mines, the iron
and steel industries, and the canals built to reach
Philadelphia .
Land People and
History the Lenape of the
Delaware Valley hunted deer, grew grains and vegetables, and caught seafood
along the coast. The Lehigh Valley was of great importance because it was
one of their main east-west pathways, intersecting with major north-south
aboriginal trails in the Delaware Valley. Despite its prominence as a crossroads,
the Great Valley was the site of few permanent villages, although they often
camped at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers in what is now
Easton.
Delaware and Lehigh Valley Local Native Plant Gardens, Family fishing in New Hope and Bristol Amish Market
The first Europeans in the Lehigh
Valley were Scots-Irish who followed the Saucon and Indian creeks and
established settlements in today’s Northampton County. Large numbers of Germans
came into the Lehigh Valley in the 1730s. Among them were the
Schwenkfelders from Saxony and Mennonites, known for their skills as craftsmen
and millers, and for establishing schools. Most of the Germans became
known as Pennsylvania Dutch and grew maize, squash, wheat and livestock. At
least 50 different nations and ethnic groups have been identified among the immigrants
of the 1800s; many arrived at Ellis Island and traveled straight to the Lehigh
Valley. Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton thrived by the late 19
th
Century.
The Delaware and Lehigh Valleys
played a major role during the
American
Revolution. George Washington’s crossed the Delaware River in 1776, the
second reading of Declaration of Independence was held in Easton and the
Liberty Bell was hidden from the British here.
The
Discovery of Anthracite in 1791, Carbon County set the stage for
America’s Industrial Revolution, the founding of small towns, the birth of
industrial powerhouses such as Bethlehem Steel and the development of the
Lehigh and Delaware Canals. Also known as stone coal because of its rock-like
hardness, it appeared atop hills and under valleys in seams or veins up to 12
feet thick. Industries involving iron, steel, Portland cement and zinc
processing flourished, followed by tanneries, silk and textile mills. These raw
materials led to commercial, transportation and cultural opportunities along a
165-mile route through the Wyoming, Lehigh and Delaware Valleys.
Planning Your Trip assumes uniquely local
dimensions wherever you go; the activities that you, the visitor – local, or
global – select and irrespective of the length of your stay, are unique
of the community you are visiting and rooted into the local economy, history
and traditions.
TEMA develops personalized travel itineraries based
on client interests by leveraging
an
in-depth knowledge of your destination, superior client service in the planning
stages and throughout the trip or event as well as logistics expertise to
reduce accommodations and transport costs and transfer times.
Transportation and Communications the Lehigh River
carved a trail that would eventually become the backbone of future
transportation routes. Footpaths along the river banks gave way to canals, then
to railroads, and finally to modern-day highways. Nowhere is this more apparent
than at Lehigh Gap, a dramatic landscape where the Lehigh River breaks through
Blue Mountain, also known as Kittatiny Ridge, the final ridge in the
Appalachian chain. The Delaware Canal was
built during the early 19th Century from Easton to Bristol on
the Delaware River fostering development of textile mills such as the Grundy complex,
steel mills like the Fairless Works and planned suburban community like
Levittown. Completion of the Lehigh Canal further accelerated development of
the Valley.
The 1862
floods destroyed all the dams, locks and canal boats and coal shipping shifted
to railroads. The Lehigh Valley Railroad, which ran through Easton and on
to New York City, was the first rail line to have a significant impact. The
Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad and Reading & Pennsylvania Railroad
created competition for shipping coal and other goods. The Delaware Canal was a transport link with limited industrial impact
on the rural, farm region it flowed through.
Culture and The
Environment in more recent times, the region has been in the
forefront of land conservation, historic preservation and an arts movement that
celebrates land and landscapes. The local culture draws from the Moravian
settlements experience in which all men were equal, hence a unique and broad
cultural environment in which music, art, education and religious tolerance
flourished, as shown in the communal dwellings, churches and industrial
structures in Bethlehem and Nazareth.
Connect with Tema for Industry and
Commerce Travel Itineraries in the Delaware & Lehigh Valleys of
Pennsylvania
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Knowledge – Global Reach
