Vera Cruz is a small village in Upper Milford Township, Pennsylvania located south of

Emmaus Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus. Although its geograp ...

. 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 ...

, which has a population of 861,899 and is 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. Vera Cruz uses the Emmaus Zip Code of 18049.

History

Jasper mines

Prior to its settlement, the area that is present-day Vera Cruz was inhabited by the Lenape Indian tribes. Vera Cruz was the location of the earliest

jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...

mines on the

North American continent North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

, dating back to 8000 BC. At the height of Lenape Indian jasper mining activities, more than 100 small jasper pits were operated in the area of Vera Cruz, primarily in what is now Jasper Park. The quarries were eventually abandoned in the 1680s. The jasper mines of Vera Cruz supported tool production for the Lenape in the area, including arrowheads and other small tools used in both hunting and battle. The jasper from Jasper Park has since been found as far away as

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, supporting claims that the Vera Cruz area played a key role in supporting early jasper production and trade. The Jasper Park jasper pits are part of a key 35-mile long stretch of nine pits in the Vera Cruz area, stretching from 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 ...

Fleetwood, Pennsylvania Fleetwood, also called :pdc:Schlegelschteddel, ''Schlegelschteddel'' in Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch, is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,049 at the 2020 cens ...

. These jasper pits in Vera Cruz represent some of the oldest known mining operations in the United States. Today, the jasper pits in Jasper Park are a local attraction, which support small hiking and biking trails. Removal of jasper from Jasper park is a crime. Prior to 1851, Vera Cruz was an unnamed village at a prominent crossroad, located in what was then Milford Township, Pennsylvania. While a group of regular loungers were sitting at what was previously Alexander Weaver's store, their eyes turned to a newspaper with the title of "Revolt in Vera Cruz (Mexico): 12 Killed, 20 Injured," which led to their conversation turning to the topic of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. After a sound of angry voices outside, the loungers rushed outside to see the commotion and saw two citizens engaged in a fight. Alexander Weaver jokingly remarked, "Now we have a name for our village. Why not call it Vera Cruz?" Ever since that incident, the name Vera Cruz has remained.

Geography

Vera Cruz is located on the Leibert Creek, a tributary of

Little Lehigh Creek Little Lehigh Creek is approximately long and is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River. It is the largest tributary of the Lehigh River. The creek flows in a win ...

, which is located to its north. The ridge to the south separates it from the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

watershed. Geographically, Vera Cruz is part of the Reading Prong province of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

Transportation

Interstate 476 Interstate 476 (I-476) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor through ea ...

, also known as the Northeast Extension of the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road which is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in Pennsylvania. It runs for across the southern part of the st ...

or the Blue Route, passes through Vera Cruz about midway between the Northeast Extension's

and Quakertown exits. The Perkiomen Branch commercial train line routes through Vera Cruz. Dillinger Tunnel in

carries the rail line under the divide between Vera Cruz and the Dillinger Tunnel.

Education

Vera Cruz is part of the East Penn School District. Students in grades nine through 12 attend

Emmaus High School Emmaus High School is a large public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. The school serves grades 9–12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Emmaus High School is located im ...

. Students in grades six through eight attend either Eyer Middle School or Lower Macungie Middle School, both located in Macungie.

Notes

References

* ''Discover Emmaus, Pennsylvania'' issued by Emmaus Main Street Program {{coord, 40.5053, N, 75.4967, W, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:US, display=title Lenape Unincorporated communities in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania