Lehigh County Historical Society

Infobox Museum
name = Lehigh County Historical Society

---

imagesize = 200
map_type =
latitude = 40.60219
longitude = -75.46592
established = 1904
location = 432 West Walnut Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania USA
type = Historical
visitors =
director = Joseph Garrera
curator = Jill Youngken
website = [http://www.lchs.museum/ www.lchs.museum]

Lehigh County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1904, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Allentown and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The Historical Society and Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum are located at 432 West Walnut Street in Allentown. Information about its collections and historic buildings, and about its program and events, may be found through its [http://www.lchs.museum/ website] .

Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum

The Lehigh County Historical Society is based in the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, a state-of-the-art convert|30000|sqft|m2|sing=on museum facility with four galleries and more than convert|10000|sqft|m2 of exhibition space.cite web |url=http://www.lchs.museum/index.htm |title=Welcome to LCHS |accessdate=2008-06-17] Recent exhibits have included "WWII: Together in Victory" and "Play Ball! Baseball in America and the Lehigh Valley". [cite journal |title=Baseball Exhibit To Open |journal=Lehigh Valley Chronicles |volume=2|issue=2|year=2008 |month=Summer |pages=1 ]

Scott Andrew Trexler II Research Library & Archive

The Historical Society's Scott Andrew Trexler II Research Library & Archive maintains an extensive collection of local and regional historical and genealogical materials. The library houses 35,000 historical artifacts, 65,000 vintage photographs and nearly three million documents. Included in its collections are more than 800 volumes of church and cemetery records for Lehigh and neighboring counties, early county records (tax rolls, wills and land deeds), indexed marriage records and announcements, 800 volumes of family genealogical histories, city directories (1860 onwards), maps, census records and published histories.cite web |url=http://www.lchs.museum/Collections.htm |title=LCHS Collections |accessdate=2008-06-17] The library also maintains microfiche versions of many of Allentown's early Pennsylvania German dialect and English-language newspapers. Access to the library is free for Society members; a small fee applies for non-members.

Historic Sites

The Lehigh County Historical Society administers several historical sites in the county:

*Trout Hall (1770) – Summer home of James Allen, son of Allentown's founder, William Allen. 4th & Walnut Streets, Allentown.

* George Taylor House (1768) – Home of George Taylor, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Lehigh & Poplar Streets, Catasauqua.

* Troxell-Steckel House & Farm Museum (1756) – Pennsylvania German stone farmhouse, one of Lehigh County's oldest structures. 4229 Reliance Street, off Route 329, Village of Egypt, Whitehall Township.

* Claussville Schoolhouse (1893) – One-room schoolhouse, the last in Lehigh County. 2917 Route 100, north of Fogelsville.

* Haines Mill Museum (1760, rebuilt 1909) – Working grist mill. 3600 Dorney Park Road, Cetronia, South Whitehall Township.

* Lockridge Furnace Museum (1868) – 19th century ironworks, now a museum dedicated to the anthracite iron industry. 525 Franklin Street, Alburtis.

*Saylor Park Cement Industry Museum (1893) – Cement kilns built by David O. Saylor, father of the American Portland cement industry. North Second Street, Coplay.

Publications

"Proceedings", the journal of the Lehigh County Historical Society, has been published on a bi-annual basis since 1906cite web |url=http://www.lchs.museum/Publications.htm |title=LCHS Publications |accessdate=2008-06-17] and features articles focusing on local and regional history. From 1947 to 1994, the publication was bound in a distinctive blue buckram hardcover binding with gilt lettering. Since 1994, "Proceedings" has been published in softcover.

See also

* Allentown, Pennsylvania
* Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
* List of historical societies

References

External links

* [http://www.lchs.museum/ Official Web Site] .
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=432+West+Walnut+Street,+Allentown,+PA+18102 Google Map location for the museum] .