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.