Northampton is a community in Northamtpon county in eastern Pennsylvania with a population of 8717 in 1990. Northampton was formed in 1909 when the borough of Alliance was renamed (Alliance was formed in 1902 by the merger of Stemton, Newport and Siegfried). The Northampton area (home to Hungarian, Ukrainian, Austrian, German, Polish, Slovak and Pennsylvania Dutch peoples) was originally settled by Mennonites on what is now West Twenty-First Street. The settlement's founder, John Siegfried, operated a tavern, store and ferry on the banks of the Lehigh River. see map

Canal Street Gazebo

The Canal Street Gazebo was dedicated in June of 1991 and was designed and constructed by Wasyl Mauser. It is located on the National Heritage Corridor, which was the former Lehigh Canal, an important part of Northampton's heritage. The Canal was built in the early 1800's and was still in use until 1942. It was America's last and longest operated towpath canal. The ceiling of the gazebo was designed to resemble an old-fashioned merry-go-round. The base and steps were built with stones taken from the lock which was located at the intersection of Canal and Stewart Streets.

Nearly 75 acres of well-maintained park land provide a pastoral setting for picnics, family and community gatherings, sporting events and walking/jogging on The Heritage Trail alongside the scenic Lehigh River. The communitys rich ethnic culture provides a true "melting pot" lifestyle as celebrated each year during "Community Days" and the annual street fair.

The Northampton area is rich in limestone and is the hub of the Cement Belt. The (former) Atlas Cement Plant (founded in 1895 by Jose Navarro) provided all the cement for the Panama Canal from 1908 to 1914. This cement was bagged in a building on Laubach Avenue that nows serves as the Northampton Area Community Center.   click for info on Atlas Museum

The Lyric Movie theater opened on Main Street in 1921 and re-opened in 1933 as the Roxy. The theater maintains its original marquee and art-deco style. The Roxy, as well as main street in general, was featured in a major motion picture, "School Ties" a few years back. The Roxy is still in service as a low cost movie theater that is popular throughout the L.V and has expanded its traditional fare to include live theater and concerts.

The Northampton Farmers Market (near the Roxy on Main Street) is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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WILSON BLOCK HOUSE
built in 1756 by Hugh Wilson (near his grist mill) to provide protection from Indian attacks - the structure was moved to the Municipal Park Complex and dedicated in 1985. Wilson appears to be the first to settle the area when he bought 400 acres from William Allen (Chief Justice of Pennsylvania) in August of 1739. Wilson combined this with nearly 730 acres he already owned northwest of what is now Howertown and built his home and grist mill sometime after 1740.

Siegfried Railroad Station

The Seigfried Railroad Station was leased from the Conrail Railroad Company beginning in September of 1975. Since that time the Borough has made many improvements to the property such as replacing much of the flooring, removal of an unsightly outbuilding, structural enforcement, paving and landscaping.

Today the building houses the Northampton Area Historical Society and has become a showcase, open to the public, especially during the Street Fair celebration and during the Christmas holiday season.