November 18th, 2008
Over the weekend, two Landmark Towns, Morrisville and Yardley, received 65 donated trees, as part of the TreeVitalize tree planting program.
TreeVitalize is a partnership launched by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that includes the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania State University, Aqua PA, and the William Penn Foundation. The partnership works to promote the value of trees in community and economic development and stresses that trees and green space increase residential and commercial property values, in addition to quality of life.
TreeVitalize’s involvement in Morrisville and Yardley began when program manager Michael Leff approached Donna Boone, Regional Main Street Coordinator for Landmark Towns, to explore the possibility of a large planting project in those towns. Working with the two town boroughs, Yardley’s Shade Tree Commission, and Morrisville’s Environmental Advisory Council, the Landmark Towns Design Committee coordinated the project. Representatives from each borough attended nine-hour Tree Tenders training courses to ensure proper planting and care of the new trees. Regarding the widespread support for the project, Boone noted, “This is a perfect example of how a regional Main Street program is supposed to work. We’ve put together a great team of volunteers in a public/private partnership that benefits the communities.”
For additional information on this TreeVitalize effort or the Landmark Towns program, please contact Donna Boone at Donna@DelawareandLehigh.org or 215-781-2605.
Posted in Events, Landmark Towns
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October 24th, 2008
From Thursday October 16 to Saturday October 18, Lehigh University hosted the 75th annual Pennsylvania Historical Association conference at the Hotel Bethlehem. The conference opened Thursday night with a lecture by noted Abraham Lincoln scholar Gabor Boritt and concluded Saturday afternoon with a luncheon address by Nicole Eustace, a scholar of emotion and love in American history. In between, historians presented their work on a wide variety of topics in Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic history. Talks ranged from urban renewal in twentieth-century Allentown to new perspectives on Native Americans.
On Friday afternoon, the D&L sponsored a talk by Dr. Howard Gillette, a professor of modern American history at Rutgers University and Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities. Dr. Gillette’s research interests are urban and regional development, and the University of Pennsylvania Press recently published his book Camden After the Fall: Decline and Renewal in a Post-Industrial City.
Dr. Gillette has been deeply involved with discussions of redevelopment in Bethlehem, especially regarding the Sands BethWorks casino complex on the former Bethlehem Steel property. On Friday, Dr. Gillette offered a summary of the campaign to protect the historical resources of the steel site and issued a dire warning that preservation efforts face a rapidly closing timeline. Bethlehem is the site of the most extensive historic steel making infrastructure in the United States, yet there is no plan in place to stabilize or protect the blast furnaces or other iconic buildings. Fortunately, Dr. Gillette, local organizations, like Save Our Steel, and a devoted contingent of community members are working to make sure preservation of the Steel remains an important element of the south side’s revitalization effort.
Gillette’s work and the prevalence of public history panels at this year’s conference are evidence of a recent trend in the American historical profession. Historians are now more than ever eager to advocate on behalf of unique relics of our past and are more likely to frame their arguments in the pragmatic language of economic impact and development. At the same time, public historians are interpreting the past in ways that are accessible to a larger community, helping others understand the importance of history and allowing them to have a hand in creating and protecting their own history.
Posted in Events, History
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September 30th, 2008
On Thursday night, the South Bethlehem Historical Society (SBHS) presented an evening of events related to iconic photographer Walker Evans.
St. Michael’s Cemetery
The night began with a gathering of about 30 community members in St. Michael’s cemetery, a large tract of land that rises steeply from Fourth Street into the wooded slopes of South Mountain. The cemetery was the site of Walker Evans’ famous photograph of a cross framing South Bethlehem and the Steel.
Braving threatening skies and a stiff breeze, a member of SBHS provided a short history of St. Michael’s, the resting place of Catholics from churches throughout the city, and spoke about efforts to document fading or vandalized gravestones and maintain the grounds. St. Michael’s faces a number of challenges: vaultless graves on a shifting hillside; missing, displaced, and buried gravestones; unmarked graves; an encroaching forest that has enveloped the uphill portion of the cemetery; and a lack of adequate funds from the church, the city, or the community to maintain the grounds or document the site before it deteriorates further.
Luckily, there is a positive among these challenges: a group of committed volunteers (led by the SBHS) that is eager to fight for the cemetery. The audience was presented with a “wish list” that will help with this fight, including used lawn equipment, volunteers to maintain the grounds, and donations to help organize the campaign. Most importantly, SBHS encouraged those present to express their interest to the public, walk the grounds, mark the graves of their relatives with flags (or with GPS), write to the newspaper or the City of Bethlehem to express the need to protect the site. Although the land, owned by the Church and hemmed in by Lehigh University property to the north, is not threatened by development, time and neglect have and will continue to take their toll, unless something is done soon.
On a personal note, the view from St. Michael’s is great. It is no wonder Evans decided to shoot from this vantage point, which looks across South Bethlehem,to the Steel and across the Lehigh Valley to the mountains. The amazing thing is that this unique resource does not see more use and receive the attention it deserves. I would encourage anyone who has not done so to plan a walk through the cemetery; I am already thinking about when I can get back there again.
Walker Evans in the Lehigh Valley
From St. Michael’s the group moved to the Northampton Community College’s Fowler Family Southside Center for SBHS’s annual meeting and a lecture by noted Evans scholar and photographer Rodger Kingston. Kingston was introduced by Michel Lefevre, of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, who spoke about the need to protect urban cemeteries for their historical importance but also because they represent scarce, open, green space in otherwise densely-populated communities.
This argument for preservation might seem macabre to twenty-first century conceptions of cemeteries as forbidding places of mourning, yet many proponents of cemetery preservation find that encouraging recreational use is one way of giving the community a vested interest in the maintenance of cemeteries.
After Lefevre’s brief introduction, Kingston presented a slide show on Evan’s career and his influence on other well-known photographers to a packed room of 60 to 70 people.
Kingston argued that Evans’ talent was rooted in his ability to capture the spirit of a town or an individual in seemingly-mundane scenes. He also noted Evans’ desire to represent the nobility and pride in working-class and African-American culture. Unlike some photographers of the period, who sought scenes of abject poverty, Evans’ tried to capture the dignity of marginalized people and places.
Kingston’s lecture was followed by a reception at Time Zones Gallery, just down the street from the Fowler Center.
This was an opportunity to view an unique exhibit of Evans’ prints, produced and collected by John T. Hill, at one time a colleague of Evans at Yale University, and to ask Kingston questions about Evan’s life and work.
This was a great night for the South Bethlehem Historical Society that would not have been possible without a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the support of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society.
If you are interested in joining the South Bethlehem Historical Society or want more information about St. Michael’s cemetery and how you can help, please contact D&L Historic Resource Specialist (and mastermind behind this successful event) Amey Senape at Amey@DelawareandLehigh.org.
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September 19th, 2008
Trail surfacing and trailhead redesign work continues at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The new trail surface is down and rolled, and the trailhead, located just south of the Rt. 873 bridge, is now under construction.
Anyone who recalls the old layout will recognize the improvements: the trail and the access road will be clearly demarcated, the new trailhead will provide ample parking, and the uniform trail surface will extend the immaculate Slatington section through the Lehigh Gap.
Construction will continue for several weeks, followed by installation of fencing and new signage. For updates, check the blog or call D&L Trail Steward Scott Everett at 610-923-3548.
Posted in Construction Updates, Events, Trail Improvements
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September 9th, 2008
During September, the South Bethlehem Historical Society, with the help of the D&L and other partners, will host a series of events celebrating the works of photographer Walker Evans. Evans is best known for his photo, “Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 1935,” taken from St. Michael’s Cemetery on East Fourth Street in South Bethlehem.
Prints of this photo and others documenting America’s experience in the Great Depression are currently featured in an exhibit at Time Zones Global Goodies and Framing Gallery that will remain open throughout September. A reception marked the opening of the exhibit on September 5.
Later in the month, noted photographer and Evans scholar Rodger Kingston will give the keynote address, “Walker Evans in the Lehigh Valley,” at the South Bethlehem Historical Society’s Annual Meeting on September 25. Guided tours of St. Michael’s cemetery will be provided prior to the meeting. Afterwards, the society will host a reception at Time Zones, providing an opportunity to view the Evans exhibit and ask Kingston questions.
On September 27, to conclude the month’s activities, Kingston will lead “Footsteps of Walker Evans,” a trolley tour of sites photographed by Evans in Easton and Bethlehem.
For times and other details, please visit the calendar at Save Our Steel, or contact Amey Senape at Amey@DelawareandLehigh.org.
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August 18th, 2008
On September 13, join Landmark Towns and Ravenchase Adventures for a real-life treasure hunt that will take you through the towns of Bristol, Morrisville, New Hope, and Yardley. Travel by car along 60 miles of the Delaware Canal, and solve codes and ciphers while learning a little bit about American history.
Arm yourself with a handmade treasure map, clues on parchment scrolls, and perhaps a cool gadget (like a black light to see clues written in invisible ink). Ravenchase staff personally greets each group at the start of the race, explains the rules of the game, and provides each team with the materials they will need. The answers and puzzle pieces along the course will lead you to a secret end location, where prizes are awarded to the top teams!
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Ravenchase’s website.
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July 16th, 2008
If Sunday’s turnout was any indication, the Coal Miners’ Festival at No.9 Mine and Museum is well on its way to becoming a summer-time favorite. Although this was the first year of the festival, over 600 people came out for the eclectic mix of reenactments, vendors, music, and food. No. 9 Mine even broke its record of mine tours given in a day.
This was a huge success that demonstrated the widespread enthusiasm for events that celebrate the cultural and historical legacy of the coal region. It also highlighted the commitment and hard work of the No.9 Mine and its friends, who deserve congratulations for a great festival. We are already looking forward to the second annual!
The Times News wrote a nice article on the festival and took some great photos.
Posted in Events, In the News
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July 10th, 2008
Who could pass up a day of coal sack races, mine tours, polkas, and demonstrations of 19th-century funeral customs? What if we throw in some great food and music?
The first annual Coal Miner’s Heritage Festival will be held this Sunday July 13 at the No.9 Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford, PA. The festival runs from 10 AM to 5 PM, rain or shine.
The schedule of events features a wide variety of demonstrations, crafts, and children’s entertainment that celebrate the history and culture of the Pennsylvania coal region.
We hope to see you and your family on Sunday!
[For more information, see the flyer and full listing of events or contact Dale at 610-377-4063.]
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June 26th, 2008
On Tuesday, Sherry Acevedo, Resource Conservation Specialist for the D&L, announced that the Lehigh Valley Greenways Initiative (LVGI) would award approximately one dozen state conservation mini-grants to local municipalities and organizations. The money comes from a $300,000 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant, intended to promote recreation and conservation activities.
[Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham]
Acevedo chose the Slate Heritage Trail, which links to the D&L Trail in Slatington, as the site to make the announcement, in part because Washington Township will receive the largest grant: $40,000 to complete surfacing and other improvements to the 3.3-mile rail-trail. Also high on the list were the City of Easton, which will receive $35,000 for work in the Sullivan Park wetlands, and the City of Bethlehem, which will apply its $33,000 grant towards an urban forestry program.
[Northampton County Executive John Stoffa]
LVGI is also promoting smaller projects with a grant of $2,500 to Tatamy for improvements to the borough’s rail-trail and $7,500 to the Northampton County Conservation District to develop a Cooperative Weed Management Area Plan for the Martins Jacoby Watershed.
The D&L Trail Tenders received a $5,000 grant for their native plant restoration project on Sand Island, and the D&L received $32,000 to continue its conservation and preservation assistance programs.
Other grant recipients included:
-City of Bethlehem Wastewater Treatment Plant ($20,000) for work on the Saucon Creek
-City of Easton ($33,000) to support an urban forestry program
-Pennsylvania Environmental Council ($13,850) for training Environmental Advisory Councils in GIS and natural resource conservation
-South Whitehall Township ($9,750) to conduct a feasibility study for a linkage to the Jordan Greenway
This grant announcement, which included both the Lehigh and Northmapton County Executives and representatives from DCNR, was a large event that earned quite a bit of press coverage. WFMZ 69 News, PennLive, and a number of local newspapers reported on LVGI’s work to foster greenway conservation and recreation activities in the Lehigh Valley.
Posted in Events, In the News, LVGI
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June 10th, 2008
On Saturday, hundreds of trail users, including members of the press, braved the 95 degree conditions to attend the unveiling of our directional blades, listen to project updates, and help install mile markers, all as a part of our various National Trails Day celebrations.
[Allen Sachse addresses crowd in Slatington]
This was a great opportunity to celebrate the D&L Trail and increase its visibility in our region. We were also able to highlight the connections that the D&L makes between towns, cities, and rural areas. As we installed the blades and mile markers over the last week, we had an enthusiastic response from trail users who have always wondered about the length of their daily walks and rides.
[Trail Tenders show off new milemarker]
National Trails Day was the perfect time to kick off our signage program, but the work will continue throughout the summer-so look for updates!
Posted in Construction Updates, Events, In the News, Mile Markers, National Trails Day, Trail Improvements, Trail Tenders
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