From the Archives
Deibertsville Store and Post Office
The Historical Society was presented with a wooden model of the Deibertsville Store and Post Office by Mervin and Bonnie (Kline) Reichard which prompted us to dig up some information about it.
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Early 20th Century Obituaries
View some examples of the early 20th century way of notifying family and friends about the passing of a loved one.
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The Paxton Boys
The Paxton Boys were a vigilante group that murdered at least twenty Native Americans in events sometimes called the Conestoga Massacres.
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Ontelaunee Terrace
Public Service was a publication about life in the Great Agricultural and Industrial Zone of the East Penn Valley between Reading and Allentown, Pa. Ontelaunee Terrace was a development idea for an area of Ontelaunee Park.
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The Heidelberg Township School Board in the Civil War
Written by Raymond E. Hollenbach at Royersford in March, 1960
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Early Wills
Early wills tell us about a lifestyle that we are not familiar with today. One large difference is the way the husband takes care of his wife after he dies.
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A Father's Letter to His Sons serving in the Civil War
A translation of a letter written February 24, 1863 by Stephen Kistler to his two sons, Philip S. and William S. They served for 9 months in the Civil War with the 167th PA Regiment Co E.
Feature Articles
Tracking Western Lehigh County Ancestry
Part one of the series by Dr. Don Yoder, who was a scholar of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
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Tracking More of Western Lehigh County Ancestry
Part two of the series by Dr. Don Yoder, who was a scholar of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
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The Pennsylvania German Groundhog Lodge
Can a groundhog predict the weather? And other mysteries revealed.
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The Beginning of a New Life
The German immigration to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s.
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PA Dutch Holiday Traditions
Did you know that the Pennsylvania Dutch are credited with bringing the Christmas tree to America?
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Memories Set Down: James K. Brost
These memories were set down by Janet Binkley. They were told to her by her mother, Elva Caroline Brobst Ramage.
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If a Tree Falls...
There's an old stone farmhouse along Mosserville Road in Lynn Township, in the northern Lehigh County, and along side of it, is one of those oddities that make people stop and stare.
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Preserving a PA Dutch Barn
Reviving this barn at Ontelaunee Park's Pioneer Village will go a long way toward the continuation of local historical preservation.
Where am I?
The roads I have been driving on for years, now hold a new perspective for me. I actually see things I don't remember seeing before, but I know they've been there for years!
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A Week in the Life of Minnie Schellhamer
Minnie (Metzger) Schellhamer, she was 51-years-old when she wrote in this diary. She was the wife of Elmer George Henry Schellhamer and they lived on Madison Street, New Tripoli, PA. And she was my great-grandmother.
By Julie (Lilly) Lubinsky
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Wandering Around "The Sticks"
Photography and commentary by Gregg P. Obstt. Local one room schoolhouses, mail pouch barn and an outhouse.
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Schnitzing and Shooting
Find out how to "schnitz" and how the Pennsylvania Dutch ring in the new year. By Edgar Kern
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Grist Mills in Lynn Township
The description of the early grist mills forms a valuable part of the industrial history of the township. Eleven mills, six on the Ontelaunee Creek and five on the Switzer Creek.
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Grist Mills in Heidelberg Township
Heidelberg Township was fortunate to have several industries in the township in the late 1700's and during the 1800's. They were grist mills, tanneries, a rifle factory, a gun powder mill, carriage factories, cider presses, a machine shop, distilleries and saw mills.
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Slate Quarries in Lynn Township
Between 1844-1927, one of the most enterprising industries of Lynn Township was the slate industry.
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Colonial Sechler Homestead
A retrospective review of some significant historical events that involved the Sechler homestead and many of its occupants, taking into account the indelible imprint they left upon the social and economic affairs of Lynn Township for 163 years (1757-1920).
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New Tripoli Bank Directors of the First 100 Years
New Tripoli Bank opened March 1, 1910 and just celebrated its 100th year
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Dr. Asher G. Kriebel
If anyone had asked him what made a good doctor a great one, the answer probably would have been slow in coming. He would have been the last to recognize he simply was being asked to recall pages from a book over which he labored so devotedly for almost 60 years.
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Elias K. Gildner: Businessman and active community member of New Tripoli
He established himself in the Village of New Tripoli with a few dollars in cash and one half side of sole leather. Though barely making a living, by saving he was able to purchase a lot in the village in 1873 where be built a work shop.
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The Diaries of Thomas Grim Fister
Thomas Grim Fister (1863 – 1933) was born in the Borough of Hamburg, Berks County, PA on October 30, 1863.
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English as a Second Language
Alfred J. Herber, my grandfather, was a public school teacher in one-room schools in Heidelberg Township for over thirty-seven years from 1885 to 1922.
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Lebensbild
These excerpts are from a book that is generally just called the Helfrich Book. Its actual title is Lebensbild, or Wahrheit in Licht and Sehatten.
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