![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/169306C5-A764-410F-9BEA-6F62FB285603/2AJHB1N.jpg)
Church review . in-teresting. On an interesting soldiers monu-ment, near the center of the town, is itshistory in a nutshell: About the time of the shortest dayin December, 1740, the first tree wasfelled on the site of Bethlehem, byDavid Nitschmann, Sr., Martin Mackand others. The first house wasbuilt early in the year 1741. On De-cember 24, 1741, the settlement wasnamed Bethlehem by Count Zinzen-do-f. Until January 11, 1844, thistown was an exclusive Moravian set-tlement, in which none but membersof the Moravian church were allowedto hold real estate. On March, 1845,the village was incorporat
Church review . in-teresting. On an interesting soldiers monu-ment, near the center of the town, is itshistory in a nutshell: About the time of the shortest dayin December, 1740, the first tree wasfelled on the site of Bethlehem, byDavid Nitschmann, Sr., Martin Mackand others. The first house wasbuilt early in the year 1741. On De-cember 24, 1741, the settlement wasnamed Bethlehem by Count Zinzen-do-f. Until January 11, 1844, thistown was an exclusive Moravian set-tlement, in which none but membersof the Moravian church were allowedto hold real estate. On March, 1845,the village was incorporated as aborough. The incident of the naming of theplace is like this: A log house andstable had been built, as narrated on thetablet. On the first Christmas eve afterits erection, Count Zinzendorf and hisdaughter Benigna were present at theobservance of the Christmas festival,and as but a wall separated them fromthe stable, there was suggested thename Bethlehem. and that it wascalled. The first settlers came from. FIRST PLACE OF WORSHIP, BUILT 1741. Nazareth, in Northampton County,under the leadership of Peter loehler,and settled at this beautiful point onthe Lehigh River, where MonocacyCreek empties into it. The modern town has gotten awaysomewhat from the simplicity andquaintness of the earlier years, but avisit to the first church, or the Sis-ters House, carries one back a hun-dred and fifty years. The old buildings, as shown in theillustration, still preserve many of thecharacteristics of a former day. Thebuttressed walls overgrown with ivyand the quaint dormer windows markthe buildings as belonging to a formerage. Tablets in the walls answer someof the questions a visitor wants to portion of the building surmountedwith the belfry has this inscription:First Seminary for Girls. Erected\. D. 1745. Used as a School 1746-17QT. On the eastern wing is thisinscription: Sisters House. ErectedA. D. 1742. Prior to 1748 Used as aBrethrens House. OF more interestis the western w
Size: 1966px × 1271px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidchurchrevi01, bookyear1901