Catasauqua and North Catasauqua Revisited

by Martha Capwell Fox

Overview

In 1900, Catasauqua was one of the wealthiest communities in America. Its electric-lighted streets were lined with businesses, stores, row houses, and ornate mansions. But when iron making ended in 1920, the "Iron Borough's" golden age soon began to fade. Compared to its booming industrial atmosphere in the 19th century, life in Catasauqua and North Catasauqua during the 20th century became quintessentially small town. Though Fuller Company and Phoenix Forge were nationally known in their own industries and the silk mills still wove luxury fabric for New York designers, many people moved elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley to work. Those who remained put down even deeper roots, buying the once-company-owned workers' houses or raising large baby-boom families in the old mansions. Church and school defined lives, and civic groups, service organizations, and sports teams provided fun, fellowship, and a sense of community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738575391
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	11/07/2011
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Martha Capwell Fox is a fifth-generation Catasauquan who has been fascinated by the town's history since childhood. She is the author of Catasauqua and North Catasauqua and Whitehall and Coplay and the coauthor of The Lehigh Valley Cement Industry.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 New Century, New Industries 9

2 The Death, Rebirth, and Death of the Canal 21

3 The Bicentennial and Other Celebrations 29

4 Schools Are the Ties that Still Bind 45

5 Fun and Frolic in the Great Outdoors 57

6 Places and Faces 69