All Posts

Season 3, Episode 4 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks R&H Simon Silk Mills Discover the R. & H. Simon Silk Mill, once the largest producer of black silk ribbon in the world. This episode of Landmarks with Leon traces its rise from a two-hundred-worker startup to a 1,200-person industrial giant, the mysterious tunnels beneath it, and its rebirth as 170 apartments and a working arts community. Tune in now.

Season 3, Episode 3 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks Easton's First Reformed Church What if one of America's most overlooked Revolutionary War landmarks helped shape the nation's future? Step inside Easton's First Reformed Church, where Thomas Paine recorded a pivotal Native American treaty, George Washington visited wounded soldiers, and a fledgling nation struggled to secure its future. Discover how this remarkable landmark transformed from a house of worship

Season 3, Episode 2 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks 1753 Bachmann Publick House Tucked away on Easton’s Northampton Street sits a stone tavern that’s seen it all — colonial court sessions, frontier diplomats, and even a Declaration signer. Landmarks with Leon (soon Lehigh Valley Landmarks) tells the astonishing tale of George Taylor. Born in Ireland and indentured upon arrival, Taylor worked his way up from furnace laborer to ironmaster and, in 1776, one of th

Season 3, Episode 1 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks Father Nitschmann and Bishop Nitschmann Who really founded Bethlehem, Pennsylvania? The answer isn't as simple as history books suggest. Two men named David Nitschmann—an uncle with an axe and a nephew with a bishop's authority—each played a pivotal role in creating one of America's most historic communities. Discover the surprising story behind Bethlehem's first tree, first home, and first Christmas in this

Season 2, Episode 25 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Centre Square Did you know one of only three public readings of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776 took place right here in Easton, Pennsylvania? Discover how Centre Square became the stage for America's fight for freedom, a tribute to Civil War heroes, and home to the nation's largest non-wax Christmas Peace Candle. Three centuries of history. One remarkable lan

Season 2, Episode 24 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks Edwin L. Drake and the Drake Well He helped launch the American oil industry, changed the course of modern history, and yet spent his final years quietly in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In this episode of Landmarks with Leon—soon to be Lehigh Valley Landmarks—Rachel Leon uncovers the astonishing story of Edwin Drake, the man behind the first successful oil well, and the surprising local landmark tied to his last

Season 2, Episode 23 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks The Second Single Brethren's House In this episode of Landmarks with Leon — soon to be Lehigh Valley Landmarks — discover how Bethlehem’s Second Single Brethren’s House was transformed from a Moravian home for craftsmen into a Revolutionary War hospital overflowing with wounded soldiers, and later into a landmark of women’s education and enduring campus life. From mass graves and battlefield medicine to Mora

Season 2, Episode 22 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf Before Bethlehem was Bethlehem, one visionary count was already thinking bigger than borders. On this episode of Landmarks with Leon — soon to be Lehigh Valley Landmarks — uncover the remarkable life of Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf, the noble reformer whose faith, exile, and global mission work helped shape the Moravian movement and gave Bethlehem its name on that Christm

Season 2, Episode 21 Landmarks With Leon AKA Lehigh Valley Landmarks Catherine Drinker Bowen From the President’s House at Lehigh University to the pages of award-winning biographies, this episode follows the remarkable life of Catherine Drinker Bowen — a Bethlehem-rooted writer, musician, and master biographer whose curiosity transformed how we read history. Discover how a violinist turned literary force became famous for revealing the human stories behind giants like Tchaik

Season 2, Episode 20 Landmarks With Leon John Heckewelder's Residence Discover the remarkable life of missionary, historian, and cultural bridge-builder John Heckewelder in this powerful episode of Landmarks with Leon. From living among the Lenape people and documenting their traditions, to witnessing the tragic aftermath of the Gnadenhutten Massacre, Heckewelder’s story reveals a deeply human side of early American history rarely told in textbooks. Join host Rachel Leon as s

Season 2, Episode 19 Landmarks With Leon Tomb of Unknown Soldier Bethlehem’s Revolutionary War story goes far beyond the battlefield. In this episode of Landmarks with Leon, uncover the haunting history of the Continental Hospital at the Moravian Second Single Brethren’s House, where hundreds of sick and wounded soldiers were treated and buried during the winter of 1776–1778. From the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the 1995 archaeological discoveries that brought these forgot

Season 2, Episode 18 Landmarks With Leon Eugene G. Grace and his Uwehlan Mansion From baseball scholarship student to one of the highest-paid executives in America, this episode of Landmarks with Leon explores the extraordinary rise of Eugene Gifford Grace — the powerful leader who helped turn Bethlehem Steel into an industrial giant. Discover the wealth, innovation, labor battles, and larger-than-life legacy behind the man whose decisions shaped Bethlehem’s skyline, workforc

Season 2, Episode 17 Landmarks With Leon John F. Fritz His innovations built an industry—but his legacy didn’t end there. In this episode of Landmarks with Leon, discover how John F. Fritz continued shaping Bethlehem long after his retirement—from founding a groundbreaking engineering lab at Lehigh University to earning the prestigious John Fritz Medal. Explore how his work influenced everything from the Panama Canal to early space technology, and why his impact still resonat

Season 2, Episode 16 Landmarks With Leon John F. Fritz What does it take to earn the title “Father of the U.S. Steel Industry”? In this episode of Landmarks with Leon, host Rachel Leon sits down with Katie Rymon of the National Museum of Industrial History to uncover how John F. Fritz transformed Bethlehem into an industrial powerhouse. From groundbreaking innovations like the three-high rolling mill to the rise of American steel during the Civil War, discover how one self-ta

Season 2, Episode 15 Landmarks With Leon Southside Bethlehem Area Public Library Discover how the Southside Bethlehem Area Public Library grew from a modest 1906 branch into a true neighborhood hub — a place where books, literacy programs, technology, and even gardening tools and seeds help serve the community. In this episode of Landmarks with Leon, hear the story of a library that has continually adapted to meet South Bethlehem’s changing needs while keeping learning and co

Season 2, Episode 14 Landmarks With Leon The Walking Purchase Before Bethlehem became a city, its land was seized through one of colonial Pennsylvania’s most infamous deceptions. In this episode of Landmarks with Leon, uncover the story of the Walking Purchase — a fraudulent scheme that reshaped the Lehigh Valley, displaced the Lenni Lenape, and left a legacy of loss still worth remembering today. Tune in for a powerful look at the land beneath Bethlehem’s foundations. Specia

Season 2, Episode 13 Landmarks With Leon Nisky Hill Cemetery Step beyond the gates and into Bethlehem’s past on this episode of Landmarks with Leon . Explore Nisky Hill Cemetery — where rolling hills and ornate headstones tell the stories of steel magnates, civic leaders, war heroes, and artists who shaped the city. From the legacy of Bethlehem Steel to the resting place of poet H.D., this episode reveals how one cemetery became a living archive of community, culture, and his

Season 2, Episode 12 Landmarks With Leon Augustus Wolle Was Bethlehem built on faith—or forged in steel? In this episode of Landmarks with Leon , discover the untold story of Augustus Wolle, the Moravian merchant who helped bridge two worlds by founding the Saucona Iron Company—laying early groundwork for what would become Bethlehem Steel. From communal living to industrial ambition, his journey reveals how religion and industry didn’t clash—they combined to shape a city. Spe

Season 2, Episode 11 Landmarks With Leon Samuel Wetherill Before South Bethlehem became an industrial powerhouse, it briefly bore another name — Wetherill. On this episode of Landmarks with Leon , uncover the story of Samuel Wetherill II, the chemist-entrepreneur who revolutionized zinc production and helped spark the region’s industrial rise. From pioneering “white zinc” in America to shaping the workforce that fueled Bethlehem’s future, this episode reveals how one innovato

Season 2, Episode 10 Landmarks With Leon Hilda Doolittle H.D. Before she became a defining voice of modernist poetry, H.D. was a Bethlehem native shaped by hymn, ritual, and imagination. On this episode of Landmarks with Leon , trace the life of Hilda Doolittle — from her Moravian roots and literary rise alongside Ezra Pound to her groundbreaking work in Imagism, explorations of identity, and reflections on memory after the London Blitz. Visit the resting place where seashell