The Palmerton Area Historical Society Website is offering a fantastic trip to explore the culture and rich history of the Palmerton Area which consists of Palmerton, Bowmanstown, Towamensing, and Lower Towamensing Townships. No need to be concerned about the weather, time or calendar. No need to leave your chair. The PAHS may be "Knee Deep in History" but this tour just gets your feet wet. Sit back, relax, click the links, and enjoy the tour as you traverse through history with a virtual look at the area.

PALMERTON, PA
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Palmerton is located in the Lehigh Gap between the Stony Ridge and the Kittatinny Mountain - known locally as the Blue Mountain - just south of Bowmanstown. The town was founded by the New Jersey Zinc Company in 1898 and named for Stephen Squires Palmer, former President and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Palmer was not only instrumental in forming the policies that resulted in the growth of New Jersey Zinc to worldwide pre-eminence, but also in making the town of Palmerton the well-planned and attractive community that exists today.

German farmers and immigrants, primarily from Eastern Europe, formed the basis for the population and work force of the community and the company. The NJZ had a patriarchal relationship with its workers and their families with many progressive ideas that benefited the community in the areas of recreation, health care, and education. (See the links for the neighborhood House, Hospital, and Schools). As early as 1900, seventy-five houses were under construction. Lots were determined by the Palmer Land Company and homes were outfitted with electricity and local telephone lines. The Palmer Water Company laid water and sewer lines and built a sewage disposal plant. Churches grew up around the ethnic communities and businesses flourished.

Today, Palmerton is an attractive community, still benefitting from the advantages available during its formative years.


BOWMANSTOWN, PA
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Bowmanstown is located just north of the Lehigh Gap and the town of Palmerton, and is named for Mr. John Bowman who settled there in 1796. It is located on the Lehigh River and was the site for Lock No. 15 on the Lehigh Canal.

Around 1855, Mr. Henry Bowman discovered paint ore nearby in the Stony Ridge and began to manufacture red paint; his business grew into the Prince Paint Manufacturing Company. Also key to the area was a thriving blacksmith shop once located at the current site of the present Bowmanstown Diner.


TOWAMENSING TOWNSHIP, PA
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The word Towamensing means wilderness. The Township may have gotten its name because of its location in the wilderness. Towamensing Township is the home of two small villages, Stemlersville and Trachsville each named after two area notables, Mr. Daniel Stemler and Mr. Lynford Trach. In 1855, Mr. Stemler became the first postmaster of the area. Mr. Trach started a general store, before being killed after serving two years in the Union Army during the Civil War.


LOWER TOWAMENSING TOWNSHIP, PA
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Lower Towamensing Township was formed in 1841 from a parcel of land from Towamensing Township. Lower Towamensing Township was also the home of two small villages. The village of Aquashicola, originally known as Millport, is still within the township; however, the former village of Lehigh Gap was demolished in 1963 to make way for the new cantilever highway which is part of Route 248.

In 1806, Mr. George Ziegenfus, a miller by trade, built a grist mill along the Aquashicola Creek. In the 1800s, Mr. Stephen Lentz discovered a slate bed and formed the Millport Slate Company. In 1814, Mr. Thomas Craig established a village in the Lehigh Gap that included a store, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, a railroad station, and several homes.