Lower Saucon Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township's population was 10,772 as of the 2010 census. The township 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. Lower Saucon Township is located east of Allentown, north of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and west of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Addresses in nearby in township are either Hellertown or

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 ...

History

17th century

Until the mid-17th century,

Lenape 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 ...

Native American tribes hunted and inhabited the land of Lower Saucon Township. European traders first arrived in the area in the 17th century, and the Lenape peacefully traded with them with the exception of several periodic skirmishes.

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 ...

, who later founded the colonial-era

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

, one of the initial

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

, was granted land on March 4, 1681, by King Charles II to repay a debt owed to Penn's father, a Royal Navy officer of the same name. The land grant included what is now Lower Saucon Township. However, Penn soon realized that he needed to purchase the land from the Native Americans to maintain clear ownership. Penn advertised throughout Europe, offering parcels of land for 40 shillings, subject to a rent of one shilling per annum forever.

18th century

In 1737, Penn's sons expanded their land holdings through the Walking Purchase to include most of the

. Although the Lenape did not think this was a legitimate claim, they eventually moved out of the area, allowing Europeans to settle it. Sometime before 1737, Nathaniel Irish established a farm, built a grist and saw mill, and opened a land office for

. He is considered the first European settler in Lower Saucon Township. Irish was the first justice of the peace in the area, and the first King's Highway, from

to the Lehigh Valley, built in 1737, led to his property. His son, also named Nathaniel Irish (1737-1816), built Nathaniel Irish House in Philadelphia. Lower Saucon Township was chartered in 1743, when it was still a part of Bucks County. It was established in the rich farmland along Saucon Creek. The name Saucon comes from the native

Unami language Unami () is an Algonquian languages, Algonquian language initially spoken by the Lenape people in the late 17th century and the early 18th century, in the southern two-thirds of present-day New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, and the northern ...

word ', meaning “at the mouth of the creek.” The township also included South Bethlehem until 1865 and Hellertown until 1872. German immigrants, convinced by Penn's favorable description of the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

, settled Lower Saucon Township in large numbers, beginning in the 1730s. Some of the surnames of the early German settlers were Boehm, Wagner, Appel, Riegel, Brunner, Lerch, Laubach, Oberley, Heller, Shimer, and Lutz. These early settlers were hardworking, and their farms prospered. There were numerous mills built to provide sawed wood, flour, textiles, paper, and gunpowder. Other early industry included lime kilns and the extraction of

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

. During the Revolutionary War, many German farmers enlisted in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

to fight the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. At a time when the Continental Army's reserves were depleted, they offered to sell wheat and rye on credit. In 1777, soldiers of the Continental Army transporting the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...

to Allentown, passing through Lower Saucon and spending a night in Leithsville. The Marquis de Lafayette stopped at Wagner's Tavern in Hellertown on his way to

during the Revolutionary War. The first church, Lower Saucon Church, was established in 1734, soon after the early settlers' arrival. It was built by a German Reformed congregation on what is present-day Easton Road. There were ten schools in the township, established by local church congregations, before the Pennsylvania state legislature developed the state's public school system in 1834.

19th century

North Penn Railroad, connecting

, was completed in 1856. This line provided an impetus to building iron smelters in Bingen, Hellertown, and Iron Hill due to the township's wealth of

and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. The railroad brought anthracite coal to this industry, transported

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...

to markets, and provided transportation for Lower Saucon Township's residents.

20th and 21st centuries

Lower Saucon Township was impacted by the late 20th century downturn and eventual closure and bankruptcy of

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

, which was the second-largest steel manufacturer in the world for most of the 20th century. Bethlehem Steel executives purchased farmland in Lower Saucon Townships and built large estates in the township, and the steel company became the largest employer in the

region. It underwent a substantial reduction in manufacturing in 1982 and ultimately ceased manufacturing entirely in 1995, resulting in the termination of employment for many township residents. Four locations in Lower Saucon Township have been named to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: Ehrhart's Mill Historic District, Michael and Margaret Heller House,

Lutz-Franklin School The Lutz-Franklin School is an historic one-room school building which is located in Lower Saucon Township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. History and architectural feature ...

, and Northampton County Bridge No. 15.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 24.3 square miles (62.9 km²), of which 24.1 square miles (62.5 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.4 km²) (0.62%) is water. The township is in the Delaware watershed and borders the Lehigh River to the north, which drains Lower Saucon, except for the Leithsville area in the extreme south, which is drained by Cooks Creek east into the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. There are nine villages in the township: Bingen, Colesville, Leithsville, Lower Saucon, Redington, Seidersville, Steel City, Wassergass, and Wydnor.

Adjacent municipalities

(north and northwest) * Hellertown (mostly surrounded by Lower Saucon) * Freemansburg (northwest) * Bethlehem Township (north) * Easton (northeast) * Williams Township (east) * Durham Township, Bucks County (tangent to the southeast) * Springfield Township, Bucks County (south) * Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County (southwest) * Salisbury Township, Lehigh County (west) * Fountain Hill, Lehigh County (northwest)

Climate

Lower Saucon Township has a hot summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6b. Average temperatures in Wassergass range from 28.7 °F in January to 73.2 °F in July, while in Wydnor they average from 28.9 °F in January to 73.6 °F in July.Prism at Oregon State University
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Transportation

As of 2021, there were of public roads in Lower Saucon Township, which are 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 township. Interstate 78 is the most prominent highway traversing Lower Saucon Township. It follows a southwest–northeast alignment through the middle of the township. However, the nearest interchanges serving local roads are all in neighboring municipalities. Pennsylvania Route 33 begins at I-78 in the far northeast corner of the township and heads northward. Pennsylvania Route 378 follows Philadelphia Pike along a north–south alignment across the western portion of the township. Finally, Pennsylvania Route 412 follows Leithsville Road along a northwest–southeast alignment across the southern portion of the township.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 9,884 people, 3,735 households, and 2,890 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 3,915 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.73%

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 ...

, 0.56%

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.69% from other races, and 0.60% 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 2.56% of the population. There were 3,735 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.00. In the township, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males. The median income for a household in the township was $59,964, and the median income for a family was $68,457. Males had a median income of $46,727 versus $30,256 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $30,280. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown are served by the Saucon Valley School District. Students in grades nine through 12 attend Saucon Valley High School in Hellertown. Lower Saucon Township is also home to

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 ...

's Goodman athletic campus, the home of

Lehigh Mountain Hawks The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the college athletics, athletic teams representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Hawks participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League. In football, Lehigh competes in ...

athletics.

References

External links

Lower Saucon Township
at Lehigh Valley Live
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society
{{Authority control Townships in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania