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    Upper Saucon Township and Coopersburg
    Upper Saucon Township and Coopersburg
    Upper Saucon Township and Coopersburg
    Ebook184 pages56 minutes

    Upper Saucon Township and Coopersburg

    By Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

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    About this ebook

    Upper Saucon Township was established in 1753. Often called "the Crossroads" because of its connections to the areas around it, the tracks of the North Pennsylvania Railroad awakened the small town of Center Valley in 1856. From there, the Liberty Bell trolley line was added, making transportation of goods and people even easier within the township. Milk trolleys ran daily, and mills lined the creeks running through the predominantly agricultural township. As the connections grew, so did the needs of one of Upper Saucon Township's towns: Coopersburg. With the needs of a burgeoning town, Coopersburg petitioned to become a distinct borough in 1879. Coopersburg brought attention to the area with its industries and annual cattle sale. It was dubbed "the town of possibilities" for all it had to offer.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439638453
    Upper Saucon Township and Coopersburg
    Author

    Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

    Kelly Ann Butterbaugh is a lifelong resident of the county. By working with local historical societies and residents, she highlights the changes Lehigh County has seen over the past 100 years.

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      Upper Saucon Township and Coopersburg - Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

      home.

      INTRODUCTION

      Why study history? Time and time again historians are asked this question. It is an interesting question with an even more interesting answer.

      History provides people with a sense of understanding. Knowledge of history allows people to make informed decisions about the present. Those who support and work with the Coopersburg Historical Society help to preserve the history of the area around the borough, especially since there is no active historical society in Upper Saucon Township. The members of this society are helping to educate a new generation of Americans about the vital lessons of the past. That is why they study history.

      Others study history because it reflects the changes of the area being studied. The pictures on these pages will do that. Pictures stand as a testimony to the changing times in the borough and township. Some like to think and hope that the area never changes, but it does regardless.

      The Upper Saucon area has undergone great changes since it was first settled by Germans in the early 1700s. These settlers set down buildings and dirt roads in places where the Lenni Lenape tribes stayed while they traveled across the area. These tribes named the area Saukunk from their word sa-ku-wit, which they used to describe their temporary camp at the mouth of the Saucon Creek.

      Today Upper Saucon Township lies in Lehigh County. Originally Upper and Lower Saucon Townships were one and were a part of Bucks County known as Old Saucon Township. This original township was organized by the Pennsylvania Germans in 1742. It was not until 1743 that Old Saucon Township was split into the two separate townships. More changes occurred when county lines were changed in 1752 and the two townships that had been in Bucks County were now in Northampton County. When Lehigh County was formed in 1812, the two townships became distinctly different from one another. On March 6, 1812, the new Lehigh County took claim of Upper Saucon Township, while Lower Saucon Township remained in Northampton County.

      However, changing political lines do not change a community; community lines are not as clearly drawn. The divide between the Upper Saucon and Lower Milford Townships runs through the area of Limeport, but the town of Limeport is a communal part of Upper Saucon Township. Later, Coopersburg became its own borough, but it is still a part of the Upper Saucon community.

      Many other people study history because they are interested in everything that was yesterday. The pictures on these pages will serve as a record of where Coopersburg and Upper Saucon Township stood at set places in time. Five, 10, or 20 years from now, people will look back on these pages and see how the people looked and what they were doing. Those future readers will smile and laugh and wonder why people wore such ridiculous fashions and funny hairstyles. By then, the town and township will have changed again. By then there will be new faces to photograph, new names to learn, new houses to write about, and new stories to tell.

      Today there is a story to tell. It is the story of entrepreneurs like Samuel Kern, Jacob Ueberroth, and William Urmy, who opened their businesses, their quarries, and their delivery routes. It is the story of farmers like the Coopers who worked the land and managed their livestock. It is the story of the township and its burgeoning borough. It is the story of several small rural towns working together to form a community known as Upper Saucon Township.

      Upper Saucon Township has distinctly named areas—Limeport, Standard, Lanark, Blue Church, Locust Valley, Colesville, Friedensville, Center Valley, Coopersburg, and Spring Valley—all reflecting their individual histories. Limeport was named after the limestone it quarried, the Blue Church area took its name from its well known and uniquely colored Lutheran church, and Spring Valley earned its moniker from its plethora of natural springs.

      Other towns saw significant change, making industrial and communal advancements from their agricultural roots. Friedensville was a small farming area in the eastern end of the township until zinc was found on the Hartman farm. From that moment onward, Friedensville became an important zinc mining community with a large housing development built specifically for those who worked in the mines. The mining that occurred there from 1853 through the 1980s affected the entire Saucon Valley while it was in operation. Water tables rose and fell in accordance with the mines’ pumping, and land stability was brought into question in areas above the mines. Today the mines are quiet, and the area is developing into corporate offices and retail spaces, continually changing.

      Through all of the township’s growth, the town of Coopersburg saw the most change. Originally named Frysburg in honor of Judge Joseph Fry, the town was small but had great potential. This potential was tapped by George Bachman, who opened a tavern in town. On June 25, 1832, the town was renamed Coopersburg in honor of the entrepreneurial spirit of Judge Peter Cooper. Cooper became an influential leader in the formation and early growth of the town. Also seeing the possibilities of the town was Milton S. Gabriel, who opened his hosiery mill on Main Street. A. O. Gehman set up a successful storefront along Main Street, and post offices and schools followed the success. All of this progress created a problem for the people of town. They needed amenities that the township could not provide. There was no need in other parts of the township for sidewalks, paved streets, streetlights, and public water, yet Coopersburg had these needs. This led to the petition

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