SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – Driving through the Lehigh Valley, the literal foundation of the country can be in plain sight.

“This is a precious, unique barn in the United States. This is one of the few existing pre-revolutionary barns,” explained Mary Hess, a local in the area.

The South Whitehall Township bank barn was once owned by Reverend Abraham Blumer, a chaplain of the Northampton County militia during the Revolutionary War.

He hid the Liberty Bell from the British in Allentown.

“[The] wood has been tested, and it’s been determined to be around 1770,” Hess said.

69 News first met Mary Hess in April 2024. Followers of her Facebook Page, Photos of The Lehigh Valley, see the 40,000 pictures she’s taken, many of historical barns.

“Advocate for the restoration and preservation of the Blumer Farm,” Hess recently said to South Whitehall Township Commissioners.

This comes as the old barn may soon lose its war with time.

“Water is getting in through the cedar shake roofing, which is damaging the beams. So, what’s going on inside is devastating,” Hess said while looking at the barn.

Hess fears another big storm may spell the end. The barn is currently owned by Jares Corporation, the township’s largest landowner, which is in the midst of plans to sell much of its 1,400 acres, including a data center.

South Whitehall Township says they’re in talks with the Jares Corporation about land being donated around the Jordan Creek Parkway that includes historic properties.

The attorney for the family says that they are interested in rehabbing, restoring and preserving a lot of those properties, including Blumer’s barn.

“This area is as significant to the United States as Philadelphia Boston,” Hess added.

Which amateur Historian Edward Quinter says should be the headline as we head into the country’s 250th birthday.

“I wish people knew how important people here were and their contributions to the revolution, and he was a prominent figure,” he said.

A reminder, that foundations of history aren’t always seen in quietly in a museum, they can speak loudly in a field.