Northampton County Celebrates 250 Years! Pride, Heritage, and Community Togetherness. HISTORY

Timeline Sources: Thanks to the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society, Easton, PA for providing this information. Ellis' History of Northampton County and Northampton Heritage by E. Gordon Alderfer. Reprinted with permission. 1700's 1682 Subdivision of Pennsylvania into the original counties of Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks 1710 First settlement at Minisink by Hollanders 1730 Alexander Hunter settled, with thirty Scotch-Irish families, in what was later known as Mount Bethel; Bethlehem Township settled 1732 First road laid out in Northampton County 1739 David Martin established first ferry across the Delaware at Easton 1741 Count Zinzendorff commenced settlement at Bethlehem 1742 Hellertown settled; Saucon Township erected 1742 Moravian College founded (Sixth oldest college in the United States) 1748 Allen Township erected 1750 Easton laid out by William Parsons and Nicholas Scull; Williams Township erected 1752 Northampton County erected 1752 Easton founded; later incorporated in 1789 1752 First election held in Northampton County; first tavern opened in Easton 1754 Courthouse built in Easton by British Government Picture 1754 First water works at Bethlehem 1754 Forks Township erected 1758 General Treaty of peace made with the Indians at Easton 1761 Tatamy, chief of the Delaware Indians, died 1762 First fire engine, known as "Perseverance", used at Bethlehem - said to have been the first fire engine in America; Plainfield Township erected 1763 First stage from Philadelphia to Bethlehem, started by Geoge Klein 1765 Moore Township erected; Lehigh Township erected 1766 First courthouse completed in Easton and first court held. Picture 1776 Northampton troops of riflemen marched to join General George Washington's "Flying Camp" near New York 1777 Governor George Wolf born 1780 Slavery abolished in Pennsylvania 1782 General George Washington visited Bethlehem 1785 Bixler Jewelry Store founded in Easton; believed to be the oldest jewelry store in the US 1787 Upper and Lower Mount Bethel Townships erected 1789 George Washington elected president 1790 Anthracite coal discovered by Philip Ginther 1790 First official US Census taken; 24,200 persons in Northampton County 1792 First post office at Bethlehem; Streets of Bethlehem lighted with lamps 1793 First post office in Easton 1798 Hanover Township incorporated 1800's 1801 Thomas Jefferson elected president 1803 Easton and Wilkes Barre incorporated 1806 Construction completed on Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem 1807 Upper and Lower Nazareth Townships erected 1811 Easton Public Library organized 1812 Slate quarry opened in Bushkill; Hellertown incorporated 1813 Bushkill Township erected 1817 Josiah White organizes the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company 1821 Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company incorporated 1829 Lehigh Canal opened 1834 Lafayette College dedicated 1840 South Easton incorporated 1841 Great Flood in Delaware and Lehigh Rivers 1845 East Allen Township incorporated 1847 First newspaper published in Bethlehem 1852 First steamboat arrived at Easton; New Jersey Central Railroad completed and first train run to Phillipsburg, New Jersey 1854 South Bethlehem laid out by Charles Broadhead 1856 Bath and Freemansburg incorporated 1857 Palmer Township erected 1861 Abraham Lincoln elected president; Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad incorporated as Bethlehem Railroad Company 1861 Construction completed on the Northampton County Courthouse; original Courthouse in Centre Square is demolished 1863 Nazareth incorporated 1866 Lehigh University founded by Asa Packer 1867 Glendon incorporated 1871 Washington Township incorporated 1875 Bangor incorporated 1876 Portland incorporated 1882 Pen Argyl incorporated 1884 East Bangor incorporated 1885 Northampton County Courthouse Picture 1888 Blizzard Picture 1890 West Easton incorporated 1893 Tatamy incorporated 1893 Wind Gap incorporated 1895 Old Whitfield House, Nazareth Picture 1895 Picture - Scene at the corner of Belvidere and Whitfield Streets, Nazareth 1898 Financial crash of Lehigh Valley Railroad. Picture of Engine 647 1899 Picture of Railroad Dining Car 1900's 1900 Stockertown incorporated 1901 Borough of Northampton incorporated 1901 Bethlehem Public Library organized 1906 Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society organized 1907 Picture of Northampton Band Member 1908 North Catasauqua incorporated 1909 Walnutport incorporated 1910 Centennial Celebration Picture of Decorated Car 1912 Roseto incorporated 1920 Wilson incorporated 1928 County-wide consolidation of school districts begins 1929 Great Depression 1931 Lehigh Canal is closed to commercial navigation 1951 Hellertown and Nazareth Public Libraries organized 1955 The Great Flood of 1955 causes severe damage in Easton and surrounding areas. Picture of Easton/Phillipsburg Bridge Top of Page