Allentown, the Queen City of the Lehigh Valley, is the youngest but largest of the three cities in the valley. Founded in 1762 by William Allen, it was little more than a crossroads and small market town along the Lehigh River until it became the county seat in 1812. Heavy industries based on iron developed in the mid-eighteenth century along the Lehigh River and, by the 1860s, Allentown had become the largest community in the Lehigh Valley. In 1867, Allentown became a city. In Allentown, readers nostalgic for times past will find photographs showing the places they remember from years ago, the Pennsylvania Power & Light tower, and the effects of the devastating floods on the Lehigh River. Equally, newcomers who have heard about the great department stores of Hamilton Street, the trolley systems, Central Park, the breweries, and the iron and silk industries will treasure the images in this volume. Many places that still exist are shown in Allentown as they appeared in their earlier days. Perusing these pages will evoke memories and will provide opportunities for parents and grandparents to introduce a younger generation to the city as it was in their youth.
America's portland cement industry began in the Lehigh Valley. The rich deposit of limestone known as the Jacksonburg Formation arcs through the valley from Berks County, Pennsylvania, to Warren County, New Jersey, and today it still provides the raw material for the Lehigh district's famous high-quality portland cement. Cement from the Lehigh Valley built America's skyscrapers, dams, and highways. The Lehigh Valley Cement Industry documents not only the quarries and cement mills but also the dozens of companies that sprang up to supply and support the industry. The photographs also tell the stories of the people who formed the cement communities—the entrepreneurs, executives, engineers, and immigrants whose legacies live on in the five multinational companies still making cement in the valley.
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