Nazareth: A Walk through Time

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by Susan M. Dreydoppel
Executive Director, Moravian Historical Society

This document is for personal use and research only. No part may be published without written permission from the author.

Nazareth, Pennsylvania is not a town that time has forgotten. From the chain drug- and video stores at one entrance of town to the ultra-modern middle school at another, the late 20th and early 21st centuries are a visible part of life.

In contrast, downtown Nazareth offers visible reminders of Nazareth's past, especially its history in the 18th and 19th centuries when Nazareth was a restricted religious community. Much of the Borough of Nazareth is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The federally-designated Nazareth Historic District consists of over 500 structures, both residences and commercial buildings, built between 1740 and 1938.

Come take a walk through time with me, as I point out some of the historic buildings and tell you a little bit about this very historic place.

(The participating businesses and organizations in September's "Evening on Main Street" are listed in bold italics for ease in finding them if you take this walk during the event. Walking directions are given in italics.)

In the Beginning

Nazareth is fortunate not only to know exactly where the community began, but also to have two of the original buildings still standing. In 1740, the English evangelist George Whitefield (pronounced WHIT-field, even though it looks like it should be white-field) hired a group of Moravians, members of a Protestant religious group who had come to the American colonies to evangelize the Native Americans and black slaves, to supervise some construction for him. He had just purchased 5000 acres in the Forks of the Delaware, where he wanted to erect a school for slave children and a haven for English debtors. In May, they began construction on the stone building which today we call the Whitefield House. We'll begin our walk here, at 214 E. Center Street, Route 191. Parking is available on the street

Progress on the building was slow because it was a very rainy summer, and by the fall of 1740, it was clear that the building would not be completed in time for winter. The eleven Moravians sent the hired masons back to their homes closer to Philadelphia, and set to work on a log building, now called the Gray Cottage. They had already hurriedly constructed one log house next to the stone building, in which they lived for the summer (it was razed in 1864; a stone monument on the Whitefield House lawn now marks the spot), but they were expecting more Moravians from Germany, and felt they needed additional room.

The Gray Cottage has been a residence since 1740, and it continues as a private residence today, owned and maintained by the Moravian Historical Society. During its history, it has housed school boys, Moravian widows and girls, retired missionaries, families and individuals. It is the oldest surviving structure built by the Moravians in North America.

The Whitefield House was completed in 1743 after the Moravians purchased the property from Whitefield and were ready to develop the settlement. After serving as a communal residence, a Moravian school for girls, the children's nursery, a haven for refugees fleeing Indian attack, apartments, an early home of Moravian Theological Seminary, and a museum with apartments above and below, the Whitefield House, Gray Cottage, two adjoining buildings, and the half block of property were turned over to the Moravian Historical Society in 1978. The Whitefield House is now the museum and headquarters of the society.

This is the spot where Nazareth began. From here, the community developed several nearby farms, designed to produce raw materials for the industries and trades which were developed by the Moravians in the nearby settlement of Bethlehem. What we think of as "downtown Nazareth" did not begin to develop until Center Square was laid out in 1771.

Let's walk over and take a look at some of that development on South Main Street. On the way, though, I'll show you some of Nazareth's more recent history.

To South Main Street

From the front of the Gray Cottage, follow the stone walkway around the side to Whitfield Street (yes, the street is spelled without the "e"). Turn left (south), cross Orchard Street, and continue past four houses. In the middle of the block on your right, you'll see a parking lot. Cross the street and walk west to the other end of the parking lot (headquarters of Nazareth Ambulance Service). As you reach the alley, look to your right, in the display window of the Vigilance Social Club.

Fire was a problem in early Nazareth. Dwellings and businesses were required to have a number of leather fire buckets near the front door, so that when the alarm was sounded everyone could quickly grab a bucket and rush to the scene. In 1792 the works of the green fire engine were brought from Germany. The wheels and cart were built for it in Pennsylvania. This first fire engine in Nazareth, the "Good Intent," needed ten men to operate it. They would pull it to the scene of the fire, and then men on either end would grasp the wooden bars and pump them up and down to create water pressure.

The second truck in the window is a scale model "junior ladder truck" build in 1900 by the Jr. Volunteer Fire Dept. of the Vigilance Hose Co. #1, Nazareth's volunteer fire department.

Continue west through the parking lot of Nazareth National Bank, and then turn left (south) and walk down Broad Street. Broad Street's architecture dates generally from the early and mid-20th century, with buildings such as the Nazareth Pharmacy (a former grocery store), an office and apartment building (a former cinema), the Broad Street branch of the Nazareth National Bank, the fire house, and the Wine and Spirits shop. Several late-19th century buildings, including Mitchell Insurance's new offices, the brick residence next to the fire station and the building on the corner which houses Creative Details, share the street. The former Nazareth Sporting Goods store began as a general store in 1874, and later became the Unangst Department Store until 1941. Further down the street is Brian's Professional Cleaning.

Turn right (west) at the Towne House and walk down Belvidere Street, past Smart Sense and Koehler's Pharmacy, which has been owned by the same family and operated in the same building since 1949. Across the street you'll see the Nazareth Borough offices, located in the 1903 fire station. Notice the rounded arches on the ground floor, which have been filled in as windows; that is where the fire engines were kept during its days as a fire station. The current fire station on Broad Street was built in 1980 to replace this one. The Nazareth Police Department is also housed in this building.

Continue down Belvidere Street, passing Complete Upholstery, The Little Shop, Lilly's Tacos, Edward Jones Investments, and Huth Insurance (established in 1898). At the corner, stop and take a good look at the street signs. South Main Street runs north and south, but the cross street has two different names. Belvidere Street runs east, and Mauch Chunk Street runs west. Why would that be?

The answer is simple if you think back to an earlier time of transportation. From this corner, the stagecoach departed for Belvidere, New Jersey, to the east, and for Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) to the west. An 1852 map in the collection at the Whitefield House has "Belvidere Road" written east of Main Street, but not until an 1874 map does Mauch Chunk St. get its name.

This is a very historic corner, spanning several centuries of history. On your right is the Nazareth Furniture Store, located in the former Nazareth Inn. Construction of the Nazareth Inn was begun in 1771, when Center Square was laid out, and it first opened for business in 1772. The original structure was log, and was located north of the corner, on either side of the present entrance. Over time, the inn expanded to accommodate visitors to Nazareth and Nazareth Hall Academy, vacationers, and business people. The additions were made of brick, and the inn grew to two, three, and finally four stories. The building did not reach Belvidere Street until the 1920s.

Across the street is the Heritage House, now apartments with S & S Used Furniture on the ground floor. Although part of the building dates to the early 1800s, it was a private dwelling until the beginning of the 20th century, when it was extensively remodeled and became the Baronial Hotel, which offered a restaurant, bar, billiards, and "all modern conveniences." In the 1930s it became a department store, although the Baronial name lives on in the memory of many Nazareth residents.

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