Egypt, Pennsylvania

Egypt, Pennsylvania

Egypt is an unincorporated community located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The village is in Whitehall Township, convert|7|mi|km|sing=off north of Allentown and convert|1|mi|km|sing=off west of Cementon. Egypt is located on Pennsylvania Route 329, just west of its intersection with Pennsylvania Route 145 at Eagle Point.

History

Egypt is one of the oldest communities in Lehigh County, having been settled as early as 1733.cite book |last= Roberts |first= Charles Rhoads |coauthors= Rev. John Baer Stoudt, Rev. Thomas H. Krick, William J. Dietrich |title= History of Lehigh County Pennsylvania and a Genealogical and Biographical Records of its Families |publisher= Lehigh Valley Publishing Company |year= 1914 |volume = 1Page 1012]

Early Pennsylvania German settlers of nearby present-day Lynn and Albany townships had named the area where they settled "Alle mängel" ("all wants") due to the poor quality of the soil on which they were trying to farm and raise crops. By contrast, the soil here was found to be quite fertile, and early settlers named this region "Egypta," since ancient Egypt, with its fertile Nile delta, was the "granary of the world." [cite book |last=Henry | first=Michael S. | title = History of the Lehigh Valley | publisher = Bixler & Company |location=Easton, Pennsylvania | year=1860 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9FaQgLhoQ3oC&pg=RA2-PA402&lpg=RA2-PA402&dq=Henry+1860+History-of-the-Lehigh-Valley+pdf&source=web&ots=67P_1hW1ru&sig=kpR-7poL9WlToZFjEWi1VgH2HH0&hl=en#PPR1,M1Page 304]

The Reformed Congregation of Egypt Church was established in 1734, and a log church was erected in 1764.cite journal | last = Roberts | first = Charles Rhoads | title = History of Reformed Congregation of Egypt Church | journal = Proceedings of the Lehigh County Historical Society | volume = 1 | pages = 71–101 | publisher = Lehigh County Historical Society | location = Allentown, Pennsylvania | format = pdf | url = http://www.libraries.psu.edu/do/dbwholepdfs/30866700_whole.pdf | date = 1908 | accessdate = 2008-07-09] The cemetery of the Egypt church contains the graves of many of the region's earliest inhabitants.

In 1755, Jacob Kohler established a gristmill, located along the Coplay Creek just south of the church. The Troxell-Steckel House, which was built in Egypt in 1756, is one of the oldest buildings in Lehigh County [Roberts, "History of Lehigh County", Page 1016.] and is today operated as a museum and historic site by the Lehigh County Historical Society. The Egypt area was also the location of Fort Deshler, a French and Indian War era frontier fort established in 1760 to protect settlers from Indian attacks. [Roberts, "History of Lehigh County", Page 111.] The fort, which was near the present intersection of PA Route 145 and Chestnut Street, stood until about 1940. The site is commemorated by a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker.cite web |url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/DOH/markerresults.asp?secid=31&namesearch=Deshler&Submit=Search+by+Marker+Title | title = PHMC: Historical Markers Program - Fort Deshler | accessdate = 2008-06-21] A granite marker, located just outside of Egypt at Scheidy's Road and Spring Street, commemorates the last Indian attack in Lehigh County, which occurred on October 8 1763, when nine settlers were murdered. [Roberts, "History of Lehigh County", Pages 104-107.]

The earliest hotel in the area was the Werley House, which operated from 1796 to 1815. [Roberts, "History of Lehigh County", Page 1015.] The first "English school" (as opposed to one that taught students in the Pennsylvania German dialect) was organized in 1808. [Roberts, "History of Lehigh County", Page 1015.] Other early industries in the immediate area included a carriage works, coal yard, bakery, tannery and silk works. In 1884, development of the community was spurred by the organization of the American Improved Cements Company (later American Cement Company), which took over and expanded a pre-existing cement mill named Egypt Mills. American Cement, which subsequently opened a number of mills in the Egypt area, operated into the early twentieth century. Cement production remains an important part of the local economy. Today, cement plants in the area are operated by Nazarth-based ESSROC a subsidiary of the Italian firm Italcementi, and the French company Lafarge.

Notable residents

*Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player, California Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.

Education

Egypt is part of the Whitehall-Coplay School District. Students in grades nine through 12 attend Whitehall High School.

References

*cite book |last=Henry | first=Michael S. | title = History of the Lehigh Valley | publisher = Bixler & Company |location=Easton, Pennsylvania | year=1860 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9FaQgLhoQ3oC&pg=RA2-PA402&lpg=RA2-PA402&dq=Henry+1860+History-of-the-Lehigh-Valley+pdf&source=web&ots=67P_1hW1ru&sig=kpR-7poL9WlToZFjEWi1VgH2HH0&hl=en#PPR1,M1
*cite book |last= Roberts |first= Charles Rhoads |coauthors= Rev. John Baer Stoudt, Rev. Thomas H. Krick, William J. Dietrich |title= History of Lehigh County Pennsylvania and a Genealogical and Biographical Records of its Families |publisher= Lehigh Valley Publishing Company |year= 1914 |volume = 1
*cite journal |last=Roberts |first=Charles R. |title=Place Names of Lehigh County and Their Origin |journal=Proceedings: Lehigh County Historical Society |year=1936 |publisher=Lehigh County Historical Society | location=Allentown, Pennsylvania

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