Businesses

Bethlehem Silk Mill

238 West Goepp Street

     The Bethlehem Silk Mill was built in 1886 at 238 West Goepp Street. It expanded into seven buildings making it the largest silk mill in Pennsylvania. The Bath railroad passed in front of the mill. There was a small railway station in front of the mill. The mill produced silk and ribbon. The silk was used for hosiery and bathing suits. The plant usually employed about 450 people. It closed in 1952. There have been several plans to convert the building into apartments. A fire in 2006 caused $8 million dollars in damage. The late Victorian brick building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Bethlehem Silk Mill photo by Roy Schreffler

Odd Fellows Building

2 West Broad Street

The Farr’s building, a Beaux Arts design at the corner of Broad and New Streets, was originally an I.O.O.F. lodge, built 150 years ago. The current owner, Ashley Development Corporation applied for the building’s eligibility on the National Historic Register. The current plan for the building is a restaurant, offices and condominiums.

circa 1920s postcard of Odd Fellows building.

 

Illick's Mill

130 Illick's Mill Road

     When John Peter and his son, Joseph Peter built their three story, stone grist mill and a wooden saw mill, in 1856, next to the Monocacy Creek, Northampton County only had 40,235 residents. The county’s residents were scatter through out the countryside compared to the denser population of today. The most recent census of 2000 counted 267,066 in the county. Peter built his grist and saw mills to serve the farmers who lived in Hanover Township (formed in 1798.) The conversion of grain to flour and wood to lumber were the two most important industries of the time. The location afforded the Peters access to farms and forest. Farmers did not want to travel long distances to bring their grain to a mill. The dirt roads were rough with ruts and holes. It was difficult for a horse to pull a heavy wagon.

    The Monocacy Creek provided the power for several mills, from Chapman where the creek originates to Bethlehem where it flows into the Lehigh River. Only Illick’s Mill and Luckenbach Mill still stand today, in the Bethlehem area. Peter picked a good location as the mill continued operation until 1915. The mill had an excellent reputation, through the years, for the quality of flour it produced.
     Samuel Shimer bought the grist mill from the Peters in 1869. The 1860 census lists Shimer as a laborer in a factory in Freemansburg. He was married to Anna Maria and they had two daughters Emma and Ella. Shimer was born to John and Mary (Schweitzer) Shimer in Lower Saucon Township in 1829. Shimer lost the mill and property in 1879 due to his unpaid debt of $2000.
     William Illick (b. 1835), a farmer in Hanover Township,  purchased the mill that year for $1400. As was typical of many local mills, he leased the mill to Josiah B. Woodring in 1880. The miller was often an a lessee or employee of the owner of the mill.
     In 1885, Joseph Illick, William’s son, along with his partner, Henry Lapp, ran the mill.  Lapp soon retired, leaving Joseph as the sole operator. Joseph, his wife Clara and their four children lived in a two story house near the mill. This house no longer exists.  In 1902, Joseph Illick closed the mill, although the mill still was owned by the family. In 1913, the Monocacy Milling Company began renting the mill from the Illick family for $25 a month. In 1915, that enterprise ended and the mill no longer was in production.
     In the late 1800s, as the west became more settled, large farms there were able to produce less expensive crops. Railroads transported the grain and other products back east. Unable to compete with those prices, local farmers went into truck farming instead of raising grain. This led to the end of the old mills.

William J. Siegfried's Drugstore

 213 W. Broad Street

 

William J. Siegfried's Drugstore was designed by architect A. W. Leh and built in the late 1880s. The location served as a drugstore for almost 100 years for various pharmacists. Today it is home to Ambre Studio, an art gallery.