Historic Cement National Bank begins new chapter with Groundbreaking ceremony in Northampton,, Page 9 Northampton
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SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 1, 2025
Photo of the Month
Delicate fungi emerge from the insulating leaf litter; photo taken May 18 in Newburg Park by Mark Atwood.
Northampton Borough Council celebrates Successful street fair, Looks ahead to uptown Revitalization By KERI LINDENMUTH Another successful Northampton Uptown Street Fair is in the books. This year’s fair, held on Saturday, Sept. 13, drew between 6,000 and 7,000 visitors, according to Mayor Anthony Pristash's estimate. Mayor Pristash thanked Northampton Borough Council for approving the event during their Sept. 18 meeting. “This is the second year that we have had an explosion of ven-
dors, bands and visitors to the fair,” he said. The event was so popular that several vendors ran out of food and goods. The Greater Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce is looking ahead to next year’s event and making plans to support the record-breaking crowds. Mayor Pristash also thanked the borough’s public works team, calling them the “star of the day” for their work in setting up and Continued on page 16
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Step back Looking by In time this Ed Pany Back Weekend With Northampton County Passport to Farms 1914: Part 1 of 4 In today’s column we will be History looking back to Northampton
Submitted by CAREY BIRGEL Our Passport to History fall weekend is this weekend, Friday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 28, and it's our biggest event of the year. Eighteen historic sites in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties invite you to step back in time with free admission, tours, activities and programs for visitors of all ages. Participating Historic Sites 1753 Bachmann Publick House (Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society) Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 169 Northampton St., Easton The 1753 Bachmann Publick House offers an immersive experience into 18th-century life. Visitors can walk the same floors that once echoed with the footsteps of John Adams, hear fascinating tavern tales and explore one of the oldest surviving buildings in Northampton County. Friendly interpreters are ready to share the National Historic register structure with you and your family. Atlas Cement Company MeContinued on page 2
County in 1914. During that era, the landscape was rural in nature. Agriculture dominated much of the county. Recently, my friend Larry Oberly was given a Farmers Directory of Northampton County. The book was published by Wilmer Atkinson Company for Farm Journal. The agriculture magazine is still very popular with over 300,000 subscribers. The publication has served the farm community for over 143 years. The book gives us a vivid picture of agriculture in the county in 1914. The statistics are very revealing. In 1914, Northampton County had a total population of 127,667 people with only 343 people per square mile. The number of farms listed was 3,565 farms averaging in size of 51 acres. The average value of a farm with buildings, implements and domestic animals was only $5,137. The value of all property, according to the 1910 census, was $18,314,227. Today, a housing development close to my home with 50 homes exceeds $25 million. One hundred and eighty-three of the farmers were foreign born. Sixty-eight percent were operated by their owners; the remainder of the farms were rentals or worked on shares.
Contributed photo The directory also listed county officials. Presently, counties are led by an elected county council. In 1914, three elected commissioners were the governing body. Several county positions were very interesting and different from today. The positions included five prison inspectors, Continued on page 6
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