1. society

Summer 2015
Volume 12 • Issue 2
Published Quarterly
by LSTHS
June Weddings
T
by Karen M. Samuels
he tradition of weddings in June was
inspired by the ancient Roman goddess
Juno, from which the month of June
got its name. In farming communities similar to
Saucon Valley, a June marriage was considered
good luck—a couple
would be blessed
with prosperity and
happiness. Beneficial to
the wife, her pregnancy
was timed by a June
wedding, when she
would give birth in early
spring. This allowed
her time to recover and
assist with planting
Actress Elizabeth Taylor seasonal crops.
During the Middle Ages, a person usually
took an annual bath in May or June, a reason June
weddings were advised. Tradition suggested that the
June bride should smell relatively fresh, along with
her bridal bouquet, which also provided a lovely
scent. Though some historians disagree on the taking
of annual baths in the 1500s, average Europeans
bathed frequently in tepid water with soap—a
commodity readily available in those days.
In 1840, Queen Victoria wore a white gown
when she wed Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha. Her white gown created a tradition
that continues to this day. Before Victoria’s
wedding, European and American brides wore
their best dresses in a variety of colors when
taking their vows. A Victorian rhyme, “Marry
when June roses grow, over land and sea
you’ll go,” also promoted June weddings. The
popularity of June weddings may have been
based on warm weather, fresh flowers and the
availability of food at that time of year.
The first weddings in Pennsylvania occurred
Please see JUNE WEDDINGS page 3
Adopt-A-Road
Jody Hijazi (second from left) meets with her Adopt-A-Road volunteers on
Country Side Lane earlier this year. For recognition of volunteers, see page 6.
History Day 2015 Having fun learning with friends!
The Eighth Annual Saucon Valley History Day
celebrated on a beautiful spring Saturday, May
2 at the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse, featured a
Maypole dance, bird house building, quill pen
writing, live music, and delicious cakes.
Live “crawly creatures,” like Olivia the opposum
(left), were presented by Christine Murray of
the Wildlands Conservancy. For a review of the
day’s activities, see pages 4 and 5.
Page 2
Summer 2015
Lower Saucon Township
Historical Society
Mission Statement:
The Lower Saucon Township Historical
Society seeks to preserve and maintain
the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse as an
example of 19th-Century Pennsylvania
architecture; to utilize it as a place of
public education; to acquire, conserve
and archive artifacts, manuscripts,
photographs, recordings and ephemera
relevant to the history of Lower Saucon
Township, and to make them available
for research, study and education.
LSTHS Executive Board 2015-2016
President: Sue Horiszny
Vice President: Jody Hijazi
Treasurer: Frank Fabian
Board Secretary: Rita Ernst
Corresponding Secretary: Sally Murphy
Shelley Goldberg
Judy Heydt
Carol Ortwein
Josh Popichak
Fran Robb
Gwen Singer
Martha Sterling
Honorary Member: John Ortwein
LSTHS Offices
Lower Saucon Town Hall
3700 Old Philadelphia Pike
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
E
A Message from our President
very spring, LutzFranklin comes
alive with children who
experience student life at the oneroom schoolhouse. This spring, 291
third-grade students from neighboring
school districts took a field trip to the
schoolhouse, where they practiced
penmanship writing in cursive with
a quill and recited a poem titled,
“The Swing.” It’s amazing to watch
children having fun while actually
doing schoolwork!
On May 2nd, History Day visitors
who came to the schoolhouse enjoyed
a special presentation by naturalist
Christine Murray of the Wildlands
Conservancy. She brought Olivia,
the opossum who was a favorite
with guests. Christine also brought
three acquatic reptiles found in
Pennsylvania—a snapping turtle, a
slider and painted turtle.
History Day ended with our
traditional Cakewalk. We were
fortunate to have special cakes
donated by Tomblers Home Bakery,
Aunt Jack’s and Rolling Pin Pastries.
We appreciate their support of our
historical society during this event.
On June 6th, former students who
attended the one-room schoolhouse
during the 1930s and the 1950s met
at Lutz-Franklin. At this event, the
Lower Saucon Township Historical
Society dedicated a plaque, which was
placed on our new schoolyard bench
in memory of Margaret “Peggy”
Fluck.
On July 11, we have a summer
event planned at the schoolhouse—the
Society will host a picnic from 5 p.m.
until dark. Details are listed in the
calendar of events and all members
and guests are invited to join us.
Have a great Summer!
—Sue Horiszny,
President
For questions or research, please contact
Joan Ruth, office manager at 610-6258771 on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Look Back Again
Published by the Lower Saucon
Township Historical Society, the
quarterly newsletter is distributed
to the current membership.
Design Editor: Kenneth F. Raniere
Editorial Support: Karen M. Samuels
Visit the LSTHS website
www.lutzfranklin.com
Webmaster: Danny Ruth
LSTHS
PO Box 176, Hellertown, PA 18055
Phone: 610-625-8771
Email: lshistorical@yahoo.com
LSTHS is a 501(c)3
Non-profit Organization
History Day at Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse
Visitors Peggy Berger (left) and Harriet Samuels enjoy hot dogs at a picnic table. Priscilla
deLeon (left) and Laura Ray are pictured in the background.
Summer 2015
Page 3
Photo courtesy of Stephen and Frances Roseman
In June 1927, this lovely photo was taken at the wedding of the groom, Paul Meilinger and his bride, Irene Takas—only sixteen, young
for a women to marry. At the age of fourteen, Irene was a clerk, employed in Meilinger Cigar Store. Later, she owned and operated the
store for 17 years until she retired in 1945.
June Weddings
Continued from page 1
between clans of Native American Lenni Lenape tribes.
The bride wore a knee-length deerskin skirt and a band of
wampum beads around her forehead. Her face was painted
with white, red and yellow clay. The Bethlehem Moravians
conducted the first Native American Christian wedding in
Bethlehem. On February 16, 1744, Rev. Boehler married
Samuel and Mary of the Massachusetts Wampanoag tribe.
During the 1900s, June reigned as the favorite month to
get married in the Saucon Valley—school terms were finished
and the season was temperate. Old family photograph albums
bear witness to elaborate wedding gowns and meticulously
groomed wedding parties. In South Bethlehem, a favorite
place to shop for wedding attire was Figlear’s Formal Wear at
6 W. Fourth St. Owner Rose Figlear Abbott specialized in all
wedding party needs. William Subko, owner of Subkos at 34
E. Third St., rented men’s formal dress clothes.
Those who lived in the Lower Saucon area often saw
their favorite movies at the Sauconia Theater in Hellertown.
In June of 1950, the blockbuster movie, Father of the Bride,
starred Elizabeth Taylor (Ellie Banks) and Spencer Tracy
(Stanley T. Banks). The film paid homage to the traditional
June wedding. In the movie, Ellie says to her father, Stanley,
“I don’t know how to explain. A wedding. A church wedding.
Well it’s, it’s what every girl dreams of. A bridal dress,
the orange blossoms, the music. It’s something lovely to
remember all the rest of her life. And something for us to
remember, too.” The movie was nominated for three Academy
Awards and inspired a generation of young women to have
their weddings in June.
In recent years, the American National Center for Health
Statistics reported that more weddings are scheduled in July
and August than in June. Today, a wedding can be planned any
time of the year, with endless choices of gowns, indoor airconditioned facilities and the availability of fresh flowers—
as long as you’re in love!
Page 4
Summer 2015
History Day 2015
Learning about our past at
the Schoolhouse is fun . . .
. . . discovering local wildlife
. . . building new bird houses
. . . dancing around the Maypole
Photographs courtesy of Shelley Barchanowitz-Goldberg, Daniel Ruth and Karen Samuels.
Summer 2015
Page 5
. . . writing with a quill
. . . enjoying a cakewalk
. . . listening to “live music”
Don’t miss it!
T
he new book, Saucon Valley, Images of
America, by Daniel T. Ruth, Karen
M. Samuels and Lee A. Weidner, will be
available in July 2015. It features many
never-before published photographs that
will delight residents of Lower Saucon
Township, Hellertown and the surrounding
area. Here are some highlights…
Photos never published of Shimersville—the entire village purchased by Bethlehem Steel and subsequently demolished.
One chapter guaranteed to bring back
fond memories, “General Store,” features
Bergstressers, the last in operation today.
These general stores were an essential part
of the Saucon Valley community.
From 1900 to 1995, Bethlehem Steel
was the primary employer of the Saucon
Valley. Readers will learn of the Bethlehem
Steel farm (in Lower Saucon), which supplied food products for meals at the Steel
headquarters. The book highlights three
local farms that became subdivisions that
housed Steel workers.
Photos of Marlin Lake, Patterson
Stables, Lake Hiawatha, and the Sauconia
Theater reveal what children did for fun.
Readers will also be surprised that the
first airport was located in an area they
drive by frequently—the Bethlehem Municipal Airport, which was only in use for a
handful of years.
All royalties from sales of the book, Saucon Valley: Images of America, will go to the
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society.
Page 6
Summer 2015
“Litter patrols” (above) are volunteers who kept over twenty-four Lower Saucon Township roads clean.
Photo courtesy of Josh Popichak
Praise given to Lower Saucon “Adopt-A-Road” Volunteers
A
by Josh Popichak
t a Lower Saucon Township council meeting on
Wednesday, March 18, 2015, Saucon Valley families,
organizations and businesses were recognized for
their volunteer work to help keep the township’s roads clean.
The township’s Adopt-A-Road program, just five years
old, was created after the Lower Saucon Sportsmen’s Association approached township officials and requested the
adoption of lower Ringhoffer Road in 2010.
After that, the township decided to formalize the program, township manager Jack Cahalan explained.
Today, nearly two dozen stretches of road in Lower
Saucon Township have been adopted by volunteers, who
clean them by going on “litter patrols” twice a year—in
spring and fall.
“The township provides volunteers with trash bags,
gloves and grabbers. Over the past five years, more than
700 bags filled with litter have been collected, along with
discarded furniture, tires and other items dumped in Lower
Saucon,” Cahalan said.
“These volunteers have devoted a total of 389 hours” to
the Adopt-A-Road program, he added.
In addition to being recognized with roadside signs, repre-
sentatives for the following Adopt-A-Road participants were
on hand to receive resolutions passed by township council in
their honor:
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society, Saucon Creek
Watershed Association, Lower Saucon Township Environmental Advisory Council, Saucon Valley Wrestling, Saucon
Valley Youth Sports, Saucon Community Bible Fellowship
Church, Hellertown Lower Saucon Little League, the Lichak
Family, Lower Saucon United Church of Christ & Red Door
Early Learning Center, St. Theresa’s Church, Saucon Valley
Farmers’ Market, Saucon Valley High School Future Business Leaders of America, the Muschlitz Family, the Riegel
Family, the Macek Family, the Pagoda Family, the Birkel and
Palik families and the Jesse Repash Family.
Other participants in Adopt-A-Road include IESI Bethlehem Landfill, Lower Saucon Sportsmen’s Association and
Christ Lutheran Church of Lower Saucon.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it,” township
council vice president, Tom Maxfield told the participants at
the meeting.
“I love volunteers. You keep the community together,”
added councilwoman Priscilla deLeon. “We can’t thank you
enough.”
Summer 2015
Page 7
From the Archives
LSTHS Memberships 2015
An Update from the Archive Room
We continue to get donations of interesting documents,
pictures, and artifacts for our archive room. Cyan, our
newest volunteer, keeps busy using our newly acquired
Mac computer “tagging” pictures.
What is “tagging?”
Danny Ruth
Today’s sophisticated software automatically recognizes
features of the human face. When a new picture is entered into our picture
database, the software will highlight all of the faces in a picture and present
a box (below the face) where you can type (or “tag”) the person’s name —if
you know it.A lot, but not all of our pictures have the names of the people
appearing in the pictures on the reverse side - so all we need to do is transfer
that information into the computer. For the pictures for which we have no
names, we could use the assistance of our senior members who may be able to
identify the faces. As time goes by, any pictures without names will be lost to
history. If this sounds like fun to you (and it is), please contact me and we will
see how we can put your detective skills to work!
New to the Archives—
We would like to express
our appreciation to Barbara
Hausman for the two boxes
of artifacts she donated to us
in May. Included among the
items was a rare Victorian
antique schoolbook holder.
The rope unrolls and tightens
around the book. It is a perfect
addition to our collection!
Please send us your current e-mail addresses if you would like to receive notices of
meetings, events, etc. Send your email address to: lshistorical@yahoo.com.
Support the Society and become a member.
Make checks payable to “L.S.T.H.S.” Return this form with your payment to:
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society
P.O. Box 176 Hellertown, PA 18055
Please print your name as it should appear on your membership card Circle: Mr. & Mrs. Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss Dr.
Name: __________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
City: ___________________________ State: _____ Zip: ________
Phone: ____________________ Email: _______________________
Check Membership Level:
____ Individual $15
____ Family $25
____ Junior (student) $5
____ Lifetime $250
____ Corporate $350 ____ Other donation
LSTHS is a 501(c)3 Non-profit Organization
Members of the LSTHS and our local community
should take pride in what we have accomplished as
we grow in recognition and reputation for both the
restoration of the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse and
educational programs.
March –
Deborah Hartwell, Eleanor Lavage, Doris
Bonstein, Virginia Bloss, Alton and Eleanor
Knauss, Richard and Nancy Eckert, Charles
and Elizabeth Derr, Justin and Erica Simmons,
Arthur Oplinger, Charles and Carol Lee,
Edward Petkavich, Michael and Sharon
Karabin, Claudia Wolbach, Michael and Gillian
Skertic, Richard and Elaine Kantor, John and
Cynthia Ringhoffer, Jane Weddigen, Leon and
Priscilla deLeon, John Weiss, Josh Popichak
and Anthony Chavar (also a donation in
memory of Cathy Chavar).
April —
Sharon Jezick, Elaine Donnelly, Howard Gardner, Pearl Bodor (also a donation in memory of
her family), Bob Swaim (NEW).
May –
Carole Gorney, Rita Ernst, Dennis Eisenhart
(NEW).
Wherever you are this season . . .
You can receive your newsletter
electronically! Just send us an e-mail at
lshistorical@yahoo.com and we will send
the newsletter to your e-mail address.
Please indicate if you’d be interested in
helping us in any of the following areas:
____ Artifacts
Special Events ____
____ Schoolhouse Docent
Baking ____
____ Membership
Fundraising ____
____ Grant Writing
Public Relations ____
____ Programs/Presentations
____ Other, specify ____________________
____ I attended a One-Room School
Meetings take place on the 2nd Wednesday
of the month at Seidersville Hall
(next to the Lower Saucon Town Hall) on
Old Philadelphia Pike, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Stop by and join us!
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society
P. O. Box 176 • Hellertown, PA 18055
Non-Profit Org.
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Keep up to date and visit us at
www.lutzfranklin.com
email— lshistorical@yahoo.com
or call— 610-625-8771
Lutz-Franklin
Schoolhouse
Directions
to the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse:
From I-78 Take exit 67 (Hellertown/Bethlehem), turn left on Rt. 412/ Main St. Go 1
block and turn left at traffic light onto Cherry
Lane. Follow 4 blocks to end and turn left
on Easton Road. Go 2.1 miles & turn left
on Countryside Lane. Go 1.3 miles to the
schoolhouse.
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society
b Calendar of Events ~ 2015 b
A reminder—Monthly meetings start at 7 p.m. at Seidersville
Hall, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike. Guests are always welcome
and light refreshments are served.
Board meetings at 6 p.m. —
June 10, July 11, Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11.
No meetings in August or December.
Wed., July 11 An old-fashioned picnic will be held at the Schoolhouse from 5 p.m. until dark, rain or shine. The picnic will be
potluck with the historical society furnishing hot dogs, buns, and
drinks. Bring a lawn chair and appetite.
Sat., Aug. 22 Visit us on Community Day in Hellertown.
Sun., Sept. 20 Author Adam Rothman will give a presentation
on his book, Beyond Freedom’s Reach. Seidersville Hall, 3700
Old Philadelphia Pike. 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3 Our annual Apple Festival will take place at the
Schoolhouse from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. rain or shine
.
Wed., Oct. 14 Katherine Ramsland is a well-known author and
authority on murder and ghosts and will present a talk. Seidersville Hall, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike. 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 5 Holiday Open House at the Schoolhouse, 1 to 3 p.m.
Don’t forget the picnic at
Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse