• National Heritage Area

    Delaware & Lehigh

    National Heritage Corridor Pennsylvania

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where did the miners come from?
A. Mining was pioneered by engineers from Europe, hired by American entrepeneurs and brought to the region.

Q. How did the Moravians come to settle in this area?
A. In 1741, Moravians began settling in parts of Bethlehem and Nazareth almost by accident. The sect initially planned to make a living for themselves in Georgia, but they encountered an inhospitable crowd and subsequently moved north into Pennsylvania.

Q. When was the Lehigh Canal Established?
A. The need to transport coal from the mines in the north to Philadelphia and other trade ports led to the creation of the Lehigh Canal in the early 1800s.

Did You Know?

Scenic vista above the Lehigh Gorge

The 30-mile Lehigh Gorge, cut into the Pocono Plateau by the Lehigh River, has a dramatic landscape of steep slopes covered in hemlock and rhododendron, rocky scarpments and side streams that end in waterfalls.