BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Step back in time this weekend: historical Bethlehem is bringing the 1700s to life on World Heritage Day.
The Community Heritage Day event is featuring hands-on activities, historical tours, and live demonstrations. 69 News Reporter Sydney Kay was in Bethlehem with more on this popular community event.
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Special Events Manager Beth Beatty said the event, which is taking place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the city’s Colonial Industrial Quarter, is a celebration of the community’s roots.
World Heritage Day celebrates what was going in the community in the early years of the American Revolution, she said.
There will be lots to do both inside and outside. Part of the event will take place at the 1869 Luckenbach Mill, which was built on the foundations of the earlier 1751 Grist Mill.
She said Bethlehem was a big industrial center.
Blacksmith John Bayer said the blacksmithing process created durable products that could last for 100 years. He said technology during the time period led to an explosion of productivity.
Keith Sten with Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites highlighted a water wheel at the city’s 1762 Waterworks building, which is a National Historic Landmark. He said it’s one of the first examples of a municipal pumped water system in the colonies.
The Monocacy Creek would help power the water wheel, he said.
“A lot of the history of our past still is a big part of our heritage today in Bethlehem,” he said.