America 250 is here, and there’s so much to learn in the Lehigh Valley. We’re stopping by the Sigal Museum in Easton. Let’s see what we uncover.

“There is so much history here in Northampton County. Why should people check out the Sigal Museum here in Easton?” Hanna O’Reilly asked. 

“What’s exciting about this museum is we actually cover the full history of the counties,” said Megan van Ravenswaay, Executive Director at Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society

“We know Easton as the big city, but there’s so many pockets of small townships and boroughs, and they deserve love to,” O’Reilly said. 

Ravenswaay says there was so much history that took place not just in our city centers and town centers, but all across Northampton County.

To celebrate America 250 in Northampton County, there are exhibits, programs, and activities for everyone to come out to. 

“It’s a huge birthday party, basically,” said Ravenswaay. 

Sigal Museum’s contribution to the Lehigh Valley 250 is the ‘Read This! History of Media in Northampton County’ Exhibit. 

“We know that the Declaration of Independence was read here in Easton, but you’re the expert. So, explain a little more in detail,” O’Reilly said to Tim Betz, curator of exhibitions and programming for the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society. 

“That is a major world event, this groundbreaking document that will change the course of world history. That’s the first time Americans are hearing it read aloud,” Betz said. 

“And the fact that it happened right down the street from the museum,” O’Reilly said. 

“Yeah. And it’s like something we walk past every day. There’s the place where the Declaration of Independence was read. It’s really humbling and interesting,” Betz replied. 

“For sure. Yeah. Thank God somebody saved this newspaper clipping for us. What exactly does this say? What do we – what can we learn from this?” O’Reilly asked. 

“It basically says that the Declaration of Independence was received here in Easton and was proclaimed at the courthouse. Then that will begin branching out further into like Albany, New York and Boston,” Betz said. 

“But hey, we started it,” O’Reilly said. 

“We started it, we did,” said Betz. 

Also at the exhibit is an 18th century printing press.

“If you were a printer, you would first start by setting type. You’d have each letter individually on a small piece of metal,” Betz explained. 

“Oh, the patience,” O’Reilly said. 

“The patience you would need – but think about the innovation of that, right? Because before that, if you wanted to copy, let’s say, a book, you did that by hand,” Betz said.

“This is the 1780 Register of Enslaved Persons for Northampton County. These are stories that happened here. And as people that are looking at the history of Northampton County in the 18th century, we’re trying to tell that full story,” Betz said of a display on the wall at the exhibit. 

Visitors and locals should also look forward to Heritage Week in Downtown Easton. 

If you go to lehighvalley250.org and take a look at that event calendar, you can find exhibit openings, a graphic novel launch, and Heritage Day, which is happening on July 11th.

“History can be fun. Who knew? See, I told you, there’s a lot of history here,” said O’Reilly.