Central Bethlehem Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Central Bethlehem Historic District

Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Listed
May 4, 1972
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
72001131

About this property

Central Bethlehem Historic District is a national historic district located in Bethlehem in Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area of eastern Pennsylvania. The district includes 165 contributing buildings, six contributing sites, including Nisky Hill Cemetery, nine contributing structures, and four contributing objects. It is primarily residential, but also includes commercial buildings along Main Street. Most of the buildings were built between the mid-18th to early-20th century. The buildings are primarily 2+1⁄2 stories tall and constructed of brick or stone. The district encompasses buildings that reflect Bethlehem's development from a Moravian community between 1741 and 1844, to an industrial based economy from 1845 to the late 20th century. Notable non-residential buildings include several communal Moravian buildings, the George H. Myers Building, and the Hill to Hill Bridge. Located in the district is the separately listed Lehigh Canal. Central Bethlehem's Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and a boundary increase to this designation was added in 1988.

Location

Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
40.61927, -75.38262

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURECOMMERCEARTENGINEERINGEDUCATIONARCHITECTURERELIGIONPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Central Bethlehem Historic District

This page lists Central Bethlehem Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Old Waterworks
Colonial
0 mi
Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District
Listed
0 mi
Tannery, The
Industrial
0.1 mi
Central Bethlehem Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.1 mi
Gemeinhaus-Lewis David De Schweinitz Residence
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Central Bethlehem Historic District listed on the National Register?

Central Bethlehem Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Central Bethlehem Historic District?

Central Bethlehem Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Central Bethlehem Historic District?

The period of significance for Central Bethlehem Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Central Bethlehem Historic District?

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