Local History

Bethlehem joins 25 other places in the United States as a World Heritage Site — an effort that has been decades in the making and, advocates hope, bolsters historic preservation and tourism in the Lehigh Valley.

A vote in favor would put Historic Moravian Bethlehem among 25 other sites nationally and 1,199 around the world, including the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef.

South Whitehall Township plans to put a referendum to create an open space tax on the May 20 primary in 2025.

The fire, which broke out overnight and sent plumes of smoke skyward, is under investigation, said Allen Township Fire Capt. Mike Miller on Saturday.

A home on Spring Street in West Bethlehem could be up for demolition to make room for senior living units. The Diocese of Allentown owns the property and could replace it with a four-unit, 4,100-square-foot complex.

The 65-mile, day-long train ride will depart from Nesquehoning, Carbon County, to the Vosburg Tunnel, a 3,900-foot former Lehigh Valley Railroad tunnel north of Tunkhannock, Wyoming County.

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission on Thursday unanimously approved the sale of PPL Tower in Allentown to Wilkes-Barre-based D&D Realty Group. The sale comes more than four months after PPL Corp. announced that its subsidiary, PPL Electric Utilities, had reached a tentative $9 million agreement to sell the building to D&D Realty Group.

The 37th Annual Blueberry Festival runs Saturday and Sunday, with live music, food, kids activities, outdoor games, and of course, blueberries. New this year is the Blueberry Tavern Tent, serving centuries-old tipples for tasting and taking.

Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled new designs for highway welcome signs and license plates this week, both featuring the Liberty Bell and the phrase "Let Freedom Ring." But it appears history hot spot Easton was left out.

Hellertown Borough's historical society touts the Heller-Wagner Grist Mill, located along West Walnut Street, as one of the oldest landmarks in town. The mill operated into the 1950s.

Members of Skyline Investment Group came to Wilson Borough Council to talk TIFs and other areas of interest around the proposed 1921 at Dixie Avenue apartment project on Monday.

Nearly 250 years ago, Easton was one of three Colonial cities where the newly-adopted Declaration of Independence was read to the public for the first time. On Sunday, the city celebrated its place in history by reading the document again.