Fountain Hill is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Lehigh County (; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Lechaa Kaundi'') is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the coun ...

, United States. The population of Fountain Hill was 4,832 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 4,597 tabulated in 2010. It is part of the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.

History

The region which would become Fountain Hill was home to

Lenape Indians The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

prior to its acquisition by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

for his sons,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

in 1681. The Penns would hire a pioneer, Nicholas Doll, to settle the land, building the first structure there in 1739. The deed for the land was passed to several farming families before being sold to the

Moravians Moravians ( or Colloquialism, colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech language, Czech or Czech language#Common Czech, Common ...

in the recently established

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

in 1743. The Moravians would directly own the area which would become Fountain Hill for 32 years, and for 100 years after the purchase the area consisted of non-Moarvian

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and ma ...

, the largest of which was a 147-acre farm owned by the Hoffert family. The farm house was built in 1755 by Cornelius Weygandt and remains the oldest standing structure in the borough. In 1846 the Moravians sold 2-acres of the property to Dr. Francis Henry Oppelt who opened a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and

mineral spa Mineral spas are spa resorts developed around naturally occurring mineral springs. Like seaside resorts, they are mainly used recreationally although they also figured prominently in prescientific medicine. Origins Spas were used for mille ...

on the site. Oppelt was a staunch believer in

balneotherapy Balneotherapy ( "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic effects. While ...

, and believed the mineral waters could cure diseases and other ailments. Oppelt's facility would remain open for 25 years from 1846 until 1871. Oppelt eventually went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

with his resort being sold in a Sheriff Sale to one Tinsley Jeter, who in turn sold it to

Asa Packer Asa Packer (December 29, 1805May 17, 1879) was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was a conservative and religious man who ...

, founder of

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

in nearby Bethlehem, in 1876. Packer promptly gifted the land to St. Luke's Hospital who moved their hospital from South Bethlehem to the now vacant resort. In 1848 the Hoffert farm was sold to real estate developers who turned it into a massive mansion named the "Fontainebleau Estate" which would trade ownership several times before 1866 when the estate would also be purchased by Tinsley Jeter who laid a town plot on the property. Jeter at the time was purchasing most of the farms in the region, as well as the mansions built for

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

executives, many of which are preserved in the Fountain Hill Historic District. In 1866 Jeter was choosing a name for the property and settled on "Fountain Hill", due to the earlier Fontainebleau estate, which stood on a small hill. In 1886 the growing town became the home to several Silk Mills with the birth of the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

. With the advent of local industry, the regions population surged, however, there was still no incorporated government, with the region operating as a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

within Salisbury Township. After a successful petition to the Lehigh County government, Fountain Hill became an incorporated municipality on November 13, 1893. In 1905 the residents of Fountain Hill rejected a proposal to join the municipality of South Bethlehem (annexed by Bethlehem in 1917) to form an Independent city. In 1919 Fountain Hill annexed some portions of neighboring Salisbury township, and around this time, Fountain Hills most famous resident,

Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét ( ; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, '' John Brown's Body'', published in 1928, for which he receive ...

, began his literary career, publishing his famed poem ''John Brown's Body'' in 1929. Through the 1940s Fountain Hill would remain a cultural retreat for Bethlehemites, hosting many operas, playhouses, and theaters. In 1949 Fountain Hill annexed another parcel from Salisbury township, bringing the borough to its present borders.

Geography

Fountain Hill is located at (40.601698, -75.396357). According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and 1.41% is water. Fountain Hill is approximately , predominantly residential in character, with approximately 1,754 dwelling units. It uses the

ZIP code of 18015.

Transportation

As of 2010, there were of public roads in Fountain Hill, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough. No numbered highways pass through Fountain Hill. The main thoroughfare through the borough is Broadway, which follows a northeast–southwest alignment through the middle of town. Pennsylvania Route 378 and Pennsylvania Route 412 are the closest numbered highways, both of which pass just to the east of Fountain Hill.

Education

Fountain Hill is served by the

Bethlehem Area School District Bethlehem Area School District is a large public school district serving the city of Bethlehem and it surrounding boroughs of Fountain Hill and Freemansburg, and Bethlehem and Hanover townships across both Lehigh and Northampton Counties in t ...

. Fountain Hill Elementary School for kindergarten through grade five is located in Fountain Hill.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,597 people living in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 81.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 7.7% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 22.5% of the population.

Notable people

, former author * Joseph F. Brennan, former Pennsylvania State Representative *

Edwin Drake Edwin Laurentine Drake (March 29, 1819 – November 9, 1880), also known as Colonel Drake, was an American businessman and the first American to successfully drill for oil. Early life Drake was born in Greenville, New York, on March 29, 18 ...

, "Father of the Oil industry", first American to drill for crude oil * Justin D. Jirolanio, former Pennsylvania State Representative and State Senator * T. J. Rooney, former Pennsylvania State Representative * Alejandra Feliz, singer, member of the Carlos & Alejandra

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 1893 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Boroughs in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1893