Many wise, or at least interesting, men (and women too) have visited this little town of Bethlehem since its founding in 1741. A large number of them remain famous, but others have not been heard of since their own time. Here, in approximate chronological order, are some of my personal favorites:
John Adams, perhaps the linchpin of the American Revolution, and yet the least appreciated Founding Father. You would be unappreciated, too, if you were sandwiched between the charismatic George Washington and the at least equally charismatic Thomas Jefferson. The pudgy, fiery Massachusetts lawyer, a man of great personal courage and intellect, fought for independence from Britain and got Jefferson his job as principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was the first Vice President of the United States, and its second President--and, alas, an unpopular one.
John Woolman, a Quaker abolitionist, whose "Journal" is a beloved spiritual classic to many who know it. He traveled in this region, promoting justice both for American Indians and for African-American slaves. For my money, Woolman may have been the greatest human being ever to pass through Bethlehem. Without doubt, he also is one of the least known.
Anne Royall, irrepressible woman journalist who travelled on the Lehigh Canal and visited our little town of Bethlehem. She had strong opinions on everything she experienced. They were famous opinions, too, because she wrote a series of popular travelogues.
Alfred R. Waud, famed artist of the Civil War, who lived here for a while and memorialized the Bethlehem of his time in striking paintings and drawings.
The enlightened Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro I, who came to study industries in Bethlehem with a view to bettering the lives of his people. Unfortunately his reign was a brief one, the Brazilians preferring a more democratic form of government.
Winston S. Churchill, future British prime minister and warrior against totalitarianism. The day of the famed stock market crash of 1929, Churchill was in the "Loretto," the railroad car of Bethlehem Steel founder Charles M. Schwab. He thought he had lost everything in the crash. Fortunately, he had not.

Think about Bethlehem history, and your thoughts still are most likely to go back to the 18th century with its Indian Wars and the American Revolution. Then you might jump ahead to the 20th century and Bethlehem Steel's mighty role in it.
The 19th century tends to slip into the shadow. But an upcoming book, and the ceremonial that goes with it, should have the effect of reminding us that the city lived on even in relatively quiet times.
Not that the book is about a quiet time. It consists of Civil War letters and diaries by James Peifer, a Moravian Civil War soldier from Bethlehem. The documents are the property of a Bethlehem couple who wish to be anonymous; the wife is a descendant of Peifer.
Since the War of 1812, the formerly pacifist-oriented Moravians had been allowed to serve in the military if they chose. Peifer was among those who so chose.
The book, "Bethlehem Boy," has been edited by Patricia N. McAndrew and Carolyn Abel of Bethlehem, and published by Moon Trail Books. More than documenting Peifer's own fairly routine service career (he was in hospital at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, but took part in Sherman's March to the Sea), the book offers interesting insights into the life of Bethlehem during Civil War times.
If all goes as planned, James Peifer will be introduced to the public on Saturday, Dec. 16. At 2:00 pm there will be a ceremony in honor of Peifer at his grave in the old Moravian cemetery, God's Acre. This ceremony, featuring the Rev. Douglas Caldwell of Central Moravian Church, the famed Moravian Trombone Choir, and Civil War re-enactors, will be followed by a book signing by the editors at the Moravian Book Shop, 428 Main St., Bethlehem.
The book then will become a part of the known Moravian heritage in all its richness. Thanks to all those involved, not least to Peifer himself. He made it all possible by being willing to put his life on the line for his country.

Here I am again. There is so much to talk about, I want to be part of talking about it. Of making it better, too, if possible. From now on, while the thrust of this blog will continue to be commentary on Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, there will be more from and about the wider world. After all, for better or for worse, happenings and forces "out there" WILL affect life on our little urban island. We are facing a veritable tsunami of life-altering challenges, some good, some bad. And it is hard to tell which is which in advance.

At least, we have almost come to the Gaming Commission's decision as to whether this city shall have a casino. The announcement will be made December 20, if all goes as planned. On that day, some city residents will feel they have received a fabulous holiday gift, while others will feel betrayed and devastated. Whoever gets the "gift," I fear, may find it is an empty box. That is because of the seemingly boundless determination of the casino's opponents to sue it to death.

Now, I myself am not a proponent of gambling as such; far from it. Nor do I think the majority should always reign unchallenged. I've spent too much of my life in the minority, challenging the majority; and I continue to think I was right every time. But in this case the majority does seem to favor the casino, AND the opponents of the plan have offered no alternative plan which would have the effect of helping the city remain financially healthy--or recover its financial health, if necessary.

So I feel I must be for the casino--much to my own surprise--because I want Bethlehem to survive. While many decent and well-intentioned people disagree with me, and for reasons I can understand and sympathize with, I feel the leaders of the anti-gaming forces here are playing a different game. It is not about morality for them, I fear. Nor is it about the survival of the city. It is about power. Behind-the-scenes power.

Furthermore, their planned legal attack obviously is going to cost a great deal of money. Attorneys are a necessity, if you believe your cause is good. Or even if you are merely determined to prevail.

But lawyers are not cheap; and who will pay for them? The casino opponents have asked for donations. But it is obvious that the tenners and twenties of ordinary citizens will not go far in an ocean of legal fees.

I believe Bethlehem's casino opponents already have a substantial amount of funding for their effort. If so, they should be required to reveal their sources. If they plan to form a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization to further their cause, or have already formed one, I believe they MUST make their sources of funding public. They should be pressed to do so, whatever their legal structure is.

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A HOLIDAY NOTE: The South Bethlehem Historical Society is back, although far from being up to full power. Nevertheless, its annual exhibit of ethnic Christmas trees may be seen at the Comfort Suites Hotel, Third St. and Brodhead Ave. in Southside Bethlehem, from now well into January. I believe it ends January 27, but don't hold me to that.

I am happy to report that the South Bethlehem Historical Society seems to have survived efforts to stifle it, at least for now. So. it appears, has the Sun Inn Preservation Association. As a former Sun Inn volunteer, I could tell you hair-raising but true stories about how SIPA has managed to come through numerous attempts over the years to even prevent visitors from learning of its existence.

My prediction is that we are going to see a period in which a lot of interesting history will be done because there will be a lot of competition to do it in such a way that it will interest Bethlehem's many visitors. And this is in its own way a very good thing; hopefully we will have more historical truth and fewer myths, such as "the Moravian South Side." I have nothing against Moravians, and want them to have all the credit they deserve for the growth of the city. But not more.

Since I myself am involved in one or two historical (and other) projects, I will be posting here even less than I have been able to lately. As far as I can figure out, though, you should be able to reach me through this site.

As you may have noted, I believe history is public property (This is NOT the same as believing any fool has a right to come in and convert the historical data to twistory, which I think is beginning to happen in Bethlehem. Except, I fear, in this case the efforts at twisting are being made by people who know all too well what they are about. I am convinced they also know it is wrong; otherwise, why not have a press conference and celebrate the glorious new historical dispensation?)
And just what IS this GNHD? To me it seems to be an attempt to write the contributions of a large class of Bethlehemites--those who lived on the South Side, had "funny names and strange religions," and whose role it was to help supply American soldiers and sailors with the weapons and equipment to win two world wars--an attempt, I say, to expunge these people from the history of the city.
Not that there is anything new about such attempts, and variations on them. Take the case of the vanished oral history. Heaven knows, it should NOT have vanished. If history is in part public property, it is also more intimately the property of the people who experienced it. But it seems that the South Side residents who were involved in this project are not to be allowed access to their own memories.
What was involved was a a rather large oral history project run by at least two (possibly more) Lehigh teachers. The project was done--it may be close to 30 years ago now--and no one seems to have a definite answer on where it even is, let alone its current state. Is it at Lehigh? In Harrisburg? In Pittsburgh? All these suggestions have been made.
Wherever it is, if it still exists, is it in usable state, with paper transcriptions? Or has technology been allowed to pass it by, so it can no longer even be listened to? If it can be listened to, why can't the people to whom it is of the greatest possible interest--the interviewees and their families--listen to it?
If anybody knows the answers to these questions, please share your insights.