Why Historic Bethlehem is Absolutely Worth Visiting This Summer
By Phoebe Cunningham
From Revolutionary War-themed walking tours and exhibitions to a new 250th anniversary celebration honoring the United States’ founding, Historic Bethlehem is giving visitors more reasons than ever to explore one of America’s best-preserved colonial communities this summer.
“Bethlehem has most of its original buildings intact and preserved,” Lehigh University Professor and noted Moravian Historian Scott Gordon said. “That’s not something you can find in many other places.”
With 10 guided tours of the historic district and buildings offered throughout the year, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) guides and storytellers take visitors through the life that the city’s early Moravians experienced in the 18th century. Lead HBMS Storyteller Ted Moyer said the best tour to discover Bethlehem’s 285-year history is the Old Bethlehem Walking Tour, offered daily at 1 p.m. It covers many of the buildings that are part of Moravian Church Settlements-Bethlehem, the nation’s newest World Heritage Site.
“Many World Heritage Sites around the world are single-entity buildings,” Moyer said. “Bethlehem has nine structures, four ruins, and a cemetery spread across a 14-acre site. That is pretty significant in comparison to other historic sites, not even including the celebrations and festivals that occur over the summer.”
These well-preserved buildings also help tell the story of Bethlehem’s role during the Revolutionary War, when the Moravian community became an important center for the Continental Army. The industrious community provided supplies such as food, weapons and wagons because of their extraordinary production capabilities via the mills and workshops located along the Monocacy Creek. The community also housed hundreds of sick and wounded soldiers at the Single Brethren’s House when it was turned into a Continental Army hospital.
“Most people who visit are surprised at how central this community is to the Revolution,” Gordon said. “The way the Continental Army utilized Bethlehem was more important than people think.”
Historic Bethlehem is offering two new tours this summer to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and shine the spotlight on early Bethlehem’s unique role during the Revolution: the Ales & Tales Revolutionary Pub Walking Tour and Bethlehem and the Revolution Walking Tour. Through these new experiences, Moyer said, visitors learn what it was like to live in a religious, pacifist society when faced with a war that could not be ignored, and how the Moravians contributed in essential ways.
“The Ales & Tales tour is selling out most of its sessions this summer,” Moyer said. “It includes a stop at the Sun Inn, where 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence visited, and it tells stories about the contributions of supplies and a hospital that Bethlehem made during the Revolutionary War.”
One of the Founding Fathers who visited was John Adams, who arrived in 1777 and was struck by what he found. Writing to his wife, Abigail, the future U.S. president described Bethlehem as a “curious and remarkable town.”
Well over two centuries later, Bethlehem continues to draw guests for both its history and its famous festivals. Today, the city is home to Musikfest, the nation’s largest free non-gated music festival, which transforms part of the historic district into a citywide celebration every summer.
“That time in August is when we really get busy with tours as we draw over one million people annually for Musikfest,” Moyer said. “People often come to Bethlehem for the festival and are surprised when they learn what a unique town they’re in.”
In addition to HBMS’s new walking tours, there are other new experiences that commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation while telling Bethlehem’s stories. These include the “Working Hands: Supplying a Revolution” exhibition at Luckenbach Mill and “Moravian Care and Cure: Bethlehem Medicine During the Revolution,” opening at the Moravian Museum in late July.
On July 12, Downtown Bethlehem Association will present America 250: A Bethlehem Block Party, where history comes alive with music, activities, and demonstrations showcasing the town’s rich history. Held in partnership with Northside Alive, the City of Bethlehem, and in honor of Central Moravian Church’s 275th anniversary, this event highlights Bethlehem’s heritage while celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
During the event, HBMS’s Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe storefront and booth on Main Street will showcase special Bethlehem merchandise, while the 1750 Smithy on Main Street will feature blacksmiths and tinsmiths hard at work. In addition, attendees can use the special promo code BETHLEHEM250 to save 25 percent off the purchase of Bethlehem & the Revolution walking tour tickets.
The event will transform Bethlehem’s historic district into a celebration of history and community while highlighting the important role that Bethlehem played in the early days of the nation.
Visit HBMS’s AR250 Page to learn more about Bethlehem during this very special summer.
