Lehigh County Heritage Center
Lehigh County Historical Society
432 West Walnut Street
Allentown, PA 18102
(610) 435-1074 • ext. 15 Groups
www.lchs.museum

Lehigh County Heritage Center

Now enjoying its beautiful new home adjacent to stately Trout Hall, The Lehigh County heritage Center presents permanent and changing exhibits on Lehigh County history and houses the library, archives and offices of the Lehigh County Historical Society, which has been serving its communities for more than ninety years.

Here visitors can explore artifacts and photographs that illustrate Lehigh County: her natural history, the rural life of early Pennsylvania German settlers, and the developments that made Lehigh County a birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Add the wonderful historic sites that are the charge of the Historical Society and visitors can begin to get a sense not only of the evolution of a county and state, but of the nation as well.

The Society also offers a number of special events throughout the year at its various sites. A calendar can be obtained by calling or by visiting the official website above..

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm and Sunday, 12 - 4pm. Call to confirm.
Admission: Adults $6.00, Children $3.00, Members FREE.

George Taylor House
Lehigh & Poplar Sts.
Catasauqua

George Taylor arrived in America from the British Isles as an indentured servant. He married well and made a fortune as an ironmaster. In 1768 he demonstrated his wealth by building a beautiful Georgian House. Later, he would sign the Declaration of Independence.
Today visitors can enjoy a Guided Tour of this home and its period furnishings.
Hours and Admission: Call for current info.

Trout Hall
414 Walnut Street.
Allentown

This stately home was built in 1770 for James Allen, son of the founder of Allentown. Meant as a summer home, Trout Hall became a year-round retreat during the Revolutionary War. Today it stands as Allentown's oldest surviving home.
Visitors can tour the house and see life as it was in the 18th century.
Hours: May - September, Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4pm.
Admission: Adults $5.00, Children $3.00.

Troxell-Steckel Museum
4229 Reliance St.
Egypt

This 1756 farmstead was built by Peter Troxell. Later, four generations of Steckels lived in the traditional Germanic house, changing the furnishings and ushering in the technologies of the 1800s.
Visitors can tour the house, as well as the barn, with its exhibits of farm tools.
Hours: May - September, Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4pm.
Admission: Adults $5.00, Children $3.00.

Haines Mill Museum
Haines Mill & Dorney Park Rd.
Cetronia

This water-driven gristmill was built before the Revolution. After being gutted by fire in 1908 the interior was rebuilt and the mill remained in service until 1956. Visitors can see how grain was ground in those grand old days.
Hours: May - September, Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4pm.
Admission: FREE.

Claussville One-Room Schoolhouse
2917 Rt. 100
Claussville

This Pennsylvania German schoolhouse was built in 1893 and was used until 1956. Furnished for the period, the school includes a belltower and a functioning outhouse.
Hours & Admission: Call for current information.

Lockridge Furnace Museum
525 Franklin St.
Alburtis

This was the 1868 home of the Thomas Iron Company. Visitors can experience the fascinating history of this important industry that turned Alburtis into a boomtown.
Hours: May - September, Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4pm.
Admission: FREE.

Saylor Park Cement Kilns
245 N. Second St.
Coplay

This is the nation's only site devoted to the people and processes that made "liquid rock." The huge kilns of David Saylor's cement factory drew many early settlers to Lehigh County.
Hours: Outdoor park open daily, year-round.
Admission: FREE.

Overall . . .

Groups can enjoy a Guided Tour of any one or all of the above sites. School Groups (grade 3 and up, unless noted) can enjoy Thematic Focus Tours or Site Sampler Tours.

Thematic Tours include Colonial Ethnicity in Lehigh County, an in-depth study of local ethnic groups that explores the lives of the Lenape Indians, the Allens, and the Troxells. Revolutionary War in Lehigh County (grade 5 and up) explores the lives of two patriot families and one loyalist family to gain insight into the Revolution and its effect on people and issues. Farm and Factory illustrates the effects of the Industrial Revolution on farm families and industrial workers. Rural Childhood uses role-playing to explore the lives of children in the early 20th century. Thematic Tours each visit two or three separate sites and take from 3½ to 4½ hours, including lunch and travel time between sites.

Site Sampler Tours take students on a Guided Tour of a selected site. The tours are interactive, some including equipment demonstrations. Most take an hour.