Bethlehem Pennsylvania Earns Its Name as "Christmas City"

Are you one of those overachievers who has already trimmed the tree, bought and wrapped the gifts, baked the cookies and is spending time scanning Pinterest for more projects to complete before Santa arrives? Me neither, so adding an out-of-town getaway to your list might be piling on. (If you're wondering why my blog posts haven't been as frequent, let's just say I blame the season for the reason.)  As an enabler, it's my job to encourage a self-indulgent getaway this time of year. After all,  if your nerves are frazzled, it might be what you need to recharge your batteries so you can return home refreshed and ready to tackle any projects that await. Things do seem to get done one way or another, don't they? Have faith and keep moving is my motto.

One special place I like to visit each year is Bethlehem,located in the Lehigh Valley of  Pennsylvania. And yes, I'll admit I've written about the regon a few times, but there's so much to do and see in the area that I always seem to find new ground to cover. 

Selecting a Place for an Overnight Stay

Since I first set foot in Bethlehem about a decade ago, I immediately became enamored with the historic Hotel Bethlehem, which is particularly striking this time of year, touting dozens of wreaths, Christmas trees and larger-than-life toy soldiers.  The hotel, constructed in 1922 at the direction of Bethlehem Steel President Charles M. Schwab, is located within walking distance of shops, galleries, restaurants and boutiques. Luminaries like Thomas Edison (pardon the pun) and Henry Ford were early visitors and the list of celebrities who have visited is rather long. Evidence remains in the form of pictures, which decorate the wall of the first floor Tap Room, so be sure to stroll over and have a look. 

A picture taken from the second floor of the Hotel Bethlehem.

Staff sets up for Sunday brunch.

Pictures taken from the second floor of the Hotel Bethlehem.

The Hotel Bethlehem is also known for its fabulous brunch, which has earned a spot in the top 100 brunches list as recognized by the OpenTable Diners' Choice Awards. Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., people come from miles around to enjoy the bounteous buffet, which includes a selection of seafood, a carving station, made-to-order waffles, omelets and more. 

The hotel also offers fine-dining at "1741 on the Terrace," where CIA graduate Chef Michael Adams demonstrates his culinary talents with dishes like "Osso Bucco," lobster ravioli and New Zealand salmon. 

"1741 on the Terrace" features Palladian windows and Moravian tile floors.

Don't leave without checking out the murals in the "Mural Ballroom." Painted by artist George Gray in 1936, the seven murals tell the stories of people and events in the area, from the founding of Bethlehem, to the birth of the iron and steel industry. Ben Franklin is pictured visiting the area to counsel the Moravians on self protection and a painting of Asa Packer recognizes the businessman's humble beginnings as a "Breaker Boy." Packer later controlled the Lehigh Valley Railroad, before founding Lehigh University.

The Liberty bell was removed from Philadelphia to prevent the British from melting it into cannon. The wagon broke down in Bethlehem, as depicted above. 

A mural depicting Casimir Pulaski, Father of the American Cavalry, visiting the Marquis de Lafayette in Bethlehem in 1777.

Behind the Hotel Bethlehem is an historic area known as the Colonial Industrial Quarter where restored buildings located along the Monocacy Creek tell a tale of days of yore. Among them are a limestone tannery and waterworks (1792), known as the first municipal water-pumping system in the country. Replica buildings include a springhouse and a blacksmith shop where docents demonstrate and explain the craft. Exploring the area is free and signs along the path provide important historical details.

Located across the street from the Hotel Bethlehem is the oldest, continuously operating bookstore in the world. Established in 1745, the Moravian Book Shop offers a wide range of books and out-of-the-ordinary gifts to suit a variety of tastes.

For those interested in gaming and shopping, the Sands Casino Resort is an excellent choice and offers not only comfortable accommodations, but a nice variety of dining options. Seafood lovers will enjoy Emeril's Fish House, with selections like King Crab legs and striped bass, oysters, scallops, crab cakes and a mouthwatering and popular buttermilk fried chicken. 

The Sands offers comfortable and spacious accommodations.

Unique lighting fixtures at Emeril's Fish House.

Buttermilk fried chicken at Emeril's.

Another famous chef represented at the Sand's is the talented "Buddy" Valastro. At "Buddy V's" the cake boss offers up food inspired by Valastro family gatherings with dishes like steak pizzaiola, linguine and clams with lobster and a wide-range of desserts ranging from Cannoli to Zeppole.

Take your chances on slots or table games after dinner, or consider heading next door to the Outlet at Sands Bethlehem. There you'll find a retailers like Charming Charlie's, Coach, Lenox, Dressbarn, Christopher Banks, Chicos and Talbot's, to name just a few.

Guests try their luck at the slots at Sands.

The Outlets at the Sands feature a variety of retailers. 

Visiting the Hoover-Mason Trestle at the Steel Stacks
Not far from the Sands is the Hoover-Mason Trestle, which I visited for the first time this year. The Hoover Mason Trestle was once used as a narrow gauge railroad to transport coke, limestone and iron ore needed to make iron. The railroad carried the materials from the ore yards to the blast furnace. Today people can get up close and personal with the 46-foot tall, 2,000-foot-long trestle via public walkway. As someone who once lived near Steelton, Pennsylvania, I am quite familiar with Bethlehem Steel, which employed many individuals in the area.  

Peering down into a building where employees once worked. 

Museums Galore
Bethlehem has a rich history and, as such, there are no lack of museums. A few include the Apothecary (located behind the Moravian bookstore), the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem,  Gemeinhaus, the Sisters' House, Burnside Plantation and the Goundie House, which is especially fun this time of year. Each day from December 5 through December 23, around 5:30 p.m., a town crier calls for everyone to gather round and a child is selected from the crowd to open the door of the house located at 501 Main Street. What's behind the door usually creates a bit of a buzz until the surprise is revealed, be it  carolers, bagpipers or quartets who emerge from the house to entertain the crowd and afterwards distribute treats to the wide-eyed children. 

For the first time this year, I visited the only museum in Pennsylvania to be dedicated to the decorative arts. The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts is housed in three, interconnected, mid-1800's homes and features period rooms and galleries containing furnishings that reflect changes in style over the past three centuries. This time of year the museum is decorated for the season.

The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts Features Several Christmas trees to celebrate the season.

Celebrating American Excellence at the National Museum of Industrial History 
A newcomer to the Bethlehem scene is the National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH), which opened its doors in August of 2016. Housed in a 100-year-old former Bethlehem Steel Facility, the NMIH features approximately 100 machines borrowed from the Smithsonian's 1876 collection. The mission?  To tell the story of America's industrial achievements through the accomplishments of our workers, innovators and entrepreneurs.

An old mosaic that was discovered in one of the Bethlehem Steel offices. 

This Corliss Pumping Engine used by York Water Company kept the city supplied with water during Hurricane Agnes in 1972. 

This slide-valve steam engine powered planes, drills, presses, boring mills and lathes.

One of the first steam hammers used in America was crafted in Manchester, England. 

This "winder" transferred yarns from skeins to bobbins and was typically operated by younger workers in a mill until the 1920's until child labor laws became more restrictive.

Bobbin boys and girls worked nine hours a day in the silk mills in the early 20th century.

Further Off the Beaten Path

If you have some extra time and would like to explore the surrounding area, consider a stop at Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery. The family-owned business is known as the oldest vineyard in Lehigh County and makes approximately 22,000 gallons of wine per year. Today they offer a total of 20 varieties. 

Tasting a few varieties in the lower level of the business. 

Upstairs a crowd begins to gather on a Saturday night.

The Glasbern Inn located in Folgelsville, Pennsylvania offers overnight accommodations and a romantic restaurant that is open to the public seven days a week. People come from miles around to dine in the highly regarded restaurant housed in a 19th-century barn that features soaring ceilings, a cozy fireplace and field stone walls. The owners make it their mission to stay as local as possible in procuring their ingredients, many of which are grown on site. 

Grass-fed beef tenderloin served at the Glasbern Inn.

After reading about all there is to do, you might understand why I find the Bethlehem area so enchanting during Christmastime and if you're lucky, you might encounter a few carolers strolling the streets in period dress.

If you can't find time in your schedule to visit during the Christmas season, there are still plenty of things to do throughout the rest of the year and with a little planning, perhaps you'll have the time to return for next year's Christmas season. 

A Historical Walking Tour of Bellefonte

Those who read this blog may recall that I returned to the town of my birth during the month of June to enjoy the area during the warmer weather. (I visited a year before in the winter months.)  While trip planning, I decided to set my sights on learning a little more about the many interesting and stately structures that dot the town.

I learned that by the early 1800s, Bellefonte had become the most influential town in Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg due to the booming iron industry. Today, many of those magnificent structures built by the titans of the time still stand.

For those who need a frame of reference, Bellefonte is located just 12 miles northeast of the State College, Pennsylvania where my father received his bachelor's degree. He was a mere sophomore when I arrived kicking and screaming at the hospital in nearby Bellefonte and I think I recall being informed that professor awarded him an "A" on an exam that day. Of course, that could just be family lore; I'm not entirely sure.

Those interested in visiting the Bellefonte area can easily fit in a little side trip to the thriving town of State College or stroll the grounds of "Old Main" in University Park and browse the blocks of shops that are located directly across the street from the college. I took a picture of the campus prior to getting caught in a downpour the weekend of our visit.

The building known affectionately as"Old Main" located in nearby University Park

Viewing Bellefonte's Beautiful Buildings
I'm not sure how many people imagine living like a local when visiting another town, but I often entertain such flights of fancy. When I saw all the grand homes, my reporter instinct kicked in and I wanted to learn more. Lucky for me, the Talleyrand Citizens Committee did the initial work by creating a map listing 46 structures with a brief explanation of each. Copies are available at the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau located at 800 East Park Avenue, so I stopped on the way into town to grab a copy and let my imagination wander.

It just so happened to be hot as blazes that weekend, so my goal of seeing each building fizzled along with my energy thanks to the scorching sun, but I am happy to say I managed to capture pictures of many of them, so without further adieu, here is what I learned on my self-guided, (albeit truncated), walking tour of Bellefonte.

First National Bank Building & Crider Exchange Building

The First National Bank Building was once home to Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Thomas Burnside. First erected in 1872, it was later rebuilt 27 years later (this time with the Crider Exchange Building attached) after a fire decimated the home. The Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee describes the two buildings as "flamboyant examples of picturesque, eclectic 'anything goes' architecture."

Attorney's Row

Located on East High Street on the North side of the courthouse, "Attorney's Row" contains examples of Italianate Period, Pennsylvania farmhouse and Georgian architectural styles.

George Grey Barnard house

At 113 E. Linn Street sits the birthplace of American sculptor George Grey Barnard. Barnard trained at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1883-1887 and is famous for the statues that flank the entrance Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. Models of those sculptures can be seen at the Centre County Library and Historical Museum.
You can see the statues and read more about a controversy that took place in 2011 in Harrisburg here.
Barnard is interred in Harrisburg, as per his request to be near his art.

Model of the sculptures that greet guests at the entrance to the Pennsylvania State Capitol can be seen at the Centre County Library and Historical Museum.

The Brockerhoff Hotel built in 1864

The Brockherhoff Hotel, located at 105 S. Allegheny Street, was built in 1864 by Henry Brockerhoff, who also built a grist mill in the area. The structure is a fine example of 1860-1870 Gothic Revival architecture and operates today as an assisted living facility.

The Reynold's Mansion

The Reynold's Mansion (rear view)

The Reynolds Mansion was once the site of a tavern that was popular in the late 1700s and run by a man by the name of George McKee. The current imposing structure was built in 1885 by a wealthy businessman, landowner, and banker by the name of Major William Frederick Reynolds. The exterior stone, known as "blue brownstone" due to its hue, was quarried by the Hummelstown Brownstone Company in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. The mansion incorporates Gothic, Italianate and Queen Anne styles and today operates as a luxury bed and breakfast. 

The Hastings Mansion

Daniel H. Hastings became Pennsylvania's 21st Governor and once resided in this impressive structure described by the Talleyrand Historical Society as a "polyglot" of architectural ideas, mostly classical. What I found most interesting about Hastings was that he began his career as a school teacher in Clinton County at the young age of 14 and by 18 was named principal of Bellefonte High School. Before being elected governor, he was involved in several other businesses, from coal mining to banking. Intelligent and industrious, he also worked as editor of the Bellefonte Republican newspaper. As a member of the Freemasons, Hastings also served as Worshipful Master at Bellefonte Lodge #268.

The Potter Home

This Georgian home located on the corner of Allegheny and Howard Streets was built in 1815 by John Miles, the son of Colonel Samul Miles, Mayor of Philly and founder of Milesburg.

The Bellefonte Courthouse 

The Bellefonte Courthouse was initially constructed in 1805 and a new one was built in 1854. The Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial, along with the statue of Andrew Gregg Curtin, who served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1861-1867, were designed by Joseph M. Huston, the architect of the state capitol building in Harrisburg. (Huston, by the way, was one of five people who was convicted of graft in 1910 when the capitol building cost overruns raised a few eyebrows.)

Ironmaster's Home

The house pictured above is located at 420 N. Allegheny Street and representative of the homes built by Ironmasters in the 19th century. This particular home was built by George Valentine of the Valentine Iron Company and dates back to 1879. By 1898, the Valentine Iron Company's heyday had run its course and the company was sold to out-of-state buyers at a Sheriff's sale.

The Bush Arcade

The Bush Arcade was built in the late 1880s to replace the original which was destroyed by fire. In the late 1880s, it was home to a bank, offices, a gentleman's clothing store, a post office, a dry goods store and other retail.

An old picture of the Bush arcade ( Fred D. Smith collection)

Bellefonte's First Hospital

Bellefonte's first hospital was housed at 113 South Spring Street. The lot on which the building stands was first owned by Thomas Burnside who practiced law in Bellefonte and went on to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Brisbin Home

Pictured above is what was once the abode of James Sanks Brisbin, a teacher who purchased and edited the Centre Democrat newspaper in Bellefonte and later served as a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Built in 1865, it was constructed of bricks that were hand wrapped and shipped from Philadelphia and is a fine example of Italian revival architecture. Today the structure is home to offices.

A Historical Marker exists in front of this Anna Wagner Keichline building 

Anna Wagner Keichline was born in Bellefonte in 1889 and by age 14 she was breaking barriers by exhibiting her talent in woodworking and taking home first prize at the county fair for an oak card table and a walnut chest. Keichline studied at Pennsylvania State University before transferring to Cornell, where she was the fifth female to graduate with a degree in architecture. The enterprising and hard working Centre County native went on to become the first female architect in Pennsylvania. During her lifetime she worked on many projects, accrued seven patents, advocated for women's rights and served as a special agent during WWI.  To this day, all of Keichline's buildings in the area are in good condition and in use. That includes the Plaza Centre, which now operates as an antique gallery, and is located at 124 West High.

"The Manse" at 201 W. High

This was the site of a home belonging to Reverand James Linn, pastor of the Bellefonte Presbyterian Church. Linn's son Samuel went on to become a Pennsylvania judge for whom Linn Street is named. "The Manse" at 201 W. High once operated as the First National Bank and is a mixture of Gothic, Romanesque and Egyptian architecture. The picturesque building is now home to the law offices of Hamilton and Kimmel.

Once part of the Pennsylvania Match Factory, Big Springs Spirits operates now as a distillery.

Matches were hot back in the day and Bellefonte was home to one of the largest match factories in the United States, producing the product on this site from 1900 through 1947. Workers completed all aspects of production here, transforming a simple block of wood into all manner of matches, from strike-anywhere matches, to safety matches, parlor matches and noiseless double-dip matches. According to the historical society, the factory reached its peak employment during World War II, supplying water-proof matches to American servicemen at home and abroad.

The match factory may have closed, but employees there are still helping people get a little lit. Big Springs Spirits has been operating in the area since 2014 and provides guests with an inviting space to kick back and socialize. Owners Kevin Lloyd and Paula Cipar now distill 12 libations, including vodka, several rums, gins, whiskey and cream bourbon, so when you tire of touring, Big Springs Spirits is the perfect way to end the day.

These are just a few of the 46 structures on the historical, self-guided walking tour provided by the Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee. The map not only lists addresses, but also provides specifics on each of the structures, along with historical markers, information about the seven Governors who hailed from the area, topographical insight and other interesting information that makes the beautiful borough of Bellefonte unique.

Happy Touring!