Digital Collections Spotlight #56: First Bethlehem Bridge Across the Lehigh River

Posted October 22, 2024 in Digital Access

Digital Collections Spotlight #56: First Bethlehem Bridge Across the Lehigh River

While the main focus of our upcoming exhibit, “Bridging Bethlehem: 100 Years of the Hill to Hill Bridge”, is the planning for and construction of the Hill to Hill Bridge in Bethlehem, PA, which marks its 100th anniversary this November, visitors can also learn about earlier methods to crossing the Lehigh River. This colored lithograph is attributed to Johann Georg Fetter (1768–1807) is from ca. 1806 and shows a good example of this, the first bridge the Moravian community built across the river.

When Bethlehem was founded in 1741 the river was crossed by fording or small boats, but the Moravians soon established a ferry for easier and more efficient crossings. By the 1790s the growth of trade and establishment of a turnpike between Bethlehem and Philadelphia prompted discussions of transitioning from this ferry to a bridge that would be located roughly where the Hill to Hill Bridge now stands. The idea was not without its detractors, notably Bishop Johannes Ettwein (1721-1802) who felt the cost and dangers of the construction were not justified and favored instead expanding the Crown Inn. In response, Bethlehem residents who favored the bridge waited until Ettwein was away visiting the Moravian community in Hope, New Jersey, to hold a vote on the project. The vote results were strongly in favor of the bridge and upon Ettwein’s return he chose to not be involved in the project but did not otherwise oppose it. An uncovered wooden bridge resting on three stone piers in the river, the bridge was designed by William Henry Jr. It would be in use until 1816 when it was replaced by a new, more sturdy bridge designed by Theodore Burr.

If you would like to see this artwork in person, and learn more about the bridge and its successors, we encourage you to visit our new exhibit “Bridging Bethlehem: 100 Years of the Hill to Hill Bridge”, which opens November 11th, 2024 and runs until December, 2025. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, but we encourage checking our website or calling ahead to confirm.

Further Reading:

Cunningham, Robert. 200 Years of Bridge History: 1794 – 1994. 1994