Two days ago I had a truly distressing experience in my continuing (but almost certainly doomed) effort to save the South Bethlehem Historical Society, which I founded more than 20 years ago as a public service to the entire city of Bethlehem. I spoke to a member of the society's board, a well-known merchant, pointing out to him that it made no sense to vote for an end to a well-funded organization with much work to do.
He replied that he thought Historic Bethlehem Partnership had made a good offer, that that offer would not really mean the end of the historical society, that HBP had the resources and staff to help do what SBHS was chartered to do on the South Side.
I doubt that. Obviously, more HBP resources float away every time the Monocacy floods the Luckenbach Mill and the 18th century Tannery--perhaps, for all I know, Burnside Plantation as well. Beyond that, there is no reason why HBP should have ANY resources needed to help SBHS do the things the latter organization was set up to do, because it has traditionally not had the slightest interest in ethnic or immigrant history. When I began pointing out the historical importance of the South Side and its people I was met, to say the least, with great coldness.
More than that, I may have been the first non-professional to be aware of the importance of South Side history, but I was not the first to try to call attention to it. Always, the north side historical establishment was totally--and, if I may say so, sniffily--uninterested. That historical establishment wasn't even interested in the Lehigh Division Canal, which ran along its edge.
It is a well-known story how, years ago, when Bethlehem Steel was throwing away everything from books to other documents to artifacts, local and regional historical societies were allowed to "go through the dumpsters," as it were, and take whatever they wanted. Historic Bethlehem Inc., one of the precursors of HBP, didn't bother to show up. The National Canal Museum did; and that is why its holdings of South Side materials are immense. It has always wanted to return the items to Bethlehem; but HBI-cum-HBP has not been interested; and now HBP seems determined to destroy the one organization that was founded to be interested.
Of course, now HBP has discovered that the truly significant part of Bethlehem's history (in terms of world history) did indeed take place on the South Side. So now it may want in on the action--and on the historical control over the city, which it thought it had in the first place.
This may be the origin of the newly discovered "Moravian South Side," which has not been significantly Moravian since it was sold in the mid-1840s.
The board member with whom I had my unsatisfactory discussion complained that since he had been a board member SBHS had not done one thing, and that it was a waste of his time. Setting aside the idea I have that SBHS was set up not to do anything (i.e., there were one or more ringers on the board), he ought to realize that it is his job as a board member to help make things happen. If he cannot, he should resign, not vote to end the existence of the organization.
The "gentleman" ended by calling me a bigot. If I recall, I am the one who pointed out that all sorts of ethnic groups had made contributions to the city, and their contributions should be acknowledged, AS WELL AS those of the early Moravians. Apparently he had been indoctrinated with the idea that anyone who wished to acknowlege anyone BUT the Moravians must be dripping with prejudice.
Say again? But it's his choice, if he wishes to think that way.
"Thinking" may be too strong a term, though.

Check Berengaria's other blog, http://insearchofhealing.blogstream.com