In celebration of Liberty High School’s 100th graduating class in 2022, the Bethlehem Area Public Library is creating a digital archive of LHS Yearbooks. “We at BAPL want to give LHS alumni and their families a glimpse into Bethlehem’s past,” says Reference Librarian Matthew Rothfuss, the project’s lead. “By digitizing LHS yearbooks we aim to […]
BAPL’s online archive of local newspapers has gotten a facelift! The Morning Call and Express-Times have long been available through bapl.org, but as text-only. Now the online version of recent years (2018-present) is a full replica of the actual print newspaper. By following the link through the library’s homepage, you can search and view full color photos, as […]
BAPL is digging deep in the archives for some historical “Throwback Thursday” posts (#tbt). This one tells the story of the first beautiful gardens that first came to the South Side of Bethlehem with Pre-World War I immigrants coming to work for Bethlehem Steel who wanted to bring “bits of their homeland in the form […]
Elizabeth Saraceno from BAPL South Side has finding lots of gems while researching local history at the library. Check out this article from 1884. That’s 136 years ago! The “local record” column includes observations such as “Country roads are again in a passable condition,” “Youthful spring appears in an overcoat and gum boots,” and “Straw […]
BAPL is digging deep in the archives for some historical “Throwback Thursday” posts (#tbt). This first one tells the story of the great Jackie Mitchell, who made history on the baseball field and even once came to the Lehigh Valley! Read about her history-making performance on April 2, 1931, as well as her appearance at […]
Historic Maps of Bethlehem The Bethlehem Area Public Library is a great source for old artifacts on the historic town of Bethlehem, PA. Some of the most interesting artifacts that the library has (which anyone can access for study and/or leisure) are maps of the town of Bethlehem from the bygone years of 1873, 1886, […]
On March 24, 1941 a four-day steel workers’ strike began in Bethlehem. Workers walked out of factories, massive demonstrations were held, and tensions rose. A famous photograph captured an image of a car that been overturned in the tumult. See pictures, newspaper articles, and more from BAPL on the 1941 strike at the link below, […]
Enjoy a screening of an episode from the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” followed by an opportunity to research your own family tree at the library. Held in the Cohen Room at the Main Library. This event is presented in conjunction with PBS39. Please register for the event with PBS39 here. BAPL MAIN LIBRARY Wednesday, February […]
We are proud to announce a major upgrade to a one-of-a-kind local resource. Check out BAPL’s World War II database, where you can find over 12,000 entries on local service people from WWII. This collection includes the many accounts in The Bethlehem Globe-Times published during the war. Many articles are light-hearted, highlighting neighbors and friends […]
This summer marks 100 years of the opening of the R.K. Laros Silk Mill. The official date of the founding of the first mill is recorded as July 1, 1919. The first mill was established in the Miller Heights section of what is now Bethlehem Township. Other mills were later built on Broad St. […]
We were happy to see news of a plaque dedicated to Mayor Robert Pfeifle yesterday! The plaque went up in the Greenway near the place where he lived on the City’s South Side. Mayor Pfeifle certainly had an eventful tenure, serving as the City’s Mayor for five consecutive terms (1930-1950) through an era that saw […]
As Martin Tower came down this month, our librarians put together a display of materials from the time when it was just going up. An article from Bethlehem Steel’s company newsletter announcing the plan in 1969 is below. Can you believe the company headquarters almost moved to New York?! This article is from BAPL’s local […]
There are a number of important dates that one could celebrate as the beginning of Bethlehem Steel. There’s the ground-breaking in 1860, the opening of the first blast furnace in 1863, and the day it became the Bethlehem Iron Company in 1861. But before that, a small company called Saucona Iron Company was officially chartered […]
Tyler Gordon is a local college student, historian, photographer, and collector of relics from the The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA). During the mid-20th century, especially at times of increased Cold War tensions, civil defense was a major concern for the United States. The country was preparing for nuclear war and TACDA was active in […]
If you follow the American Library Association on Twitter or religiously read American Libraries magazine, you already know this. (And if you don’t, what are you even doing with your life??) BAPL was featured in these prestigious places! The story is about the good work Rayah Levy is doing collecting stories of ‘the Black experience […]