News Release

 

Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee

 

Donald Breininger, Weisenberg-Lowhill Historical Society      Richard Klase, Stone Mason-Historic House Restorer

Bruce Solt, Allentown Parks Department Superintendent         Steve Long, The Shelter House Society

Sharon Haas, Upper Lehigh Historical Society                         Bruce Mordaunt, Hivel und Dahl Preservation Society

Donald S. Heintzelman, Ornithologist & Author                      Reynold Reinert, Weisenberg Township Administrator

Christine Lazor, Log Cabin Enthusiast                                     Willard Snyder, Lynn-Heidelberg Historical Society

Charles Kiernan, Lower Macungie Twp. Historical Society      Noreen Yamamoto, The Shelter House Society

 

For Release: November 10, 2008                 Contact: Donald S. Heintzelman

                                                                        donsh@enter.net

 

Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Open for Public Use

 

            The Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee announced today it completed its research and field work and is now making available for public use the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail—a unique historic and educational resource, the first for Lehigh County and Pennsylvania, and perhaps the first for the nation.

            Full details are provided on the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail’s website—www.lehighcountylogcabintrail.org—which also enables users to download essential details and driving routes for the trail’s three sections (Northern, Central, and Southern routes). A map on the website also indicates approximately where each building is located on the trail.

            The website and some related field and research tasks were completed by Eagle Scout candidate Chris Jones, a member of Boy Scout Troop 131, who also supervised a crew of assistants.

            Each of the trail’s sections has its own separate driving tour route, complete with detailed instructions and mileages provided, so people can select which parts of Lehigh County they wish to explore at any given time. It takes four to five hours to drive the entire trail, but much less time to drive any one of the sections.

            Twenty-two eighteenth and nineteenth century log buildings are included on the trail. They were selected from a list of nearly 100 log buildings identified as remaining in Lehigh County by the log cabin trail committee which conducted extensive field surveys and archival and literature research.                    

            Some are located in public parks in Lehigh County—such as Hunter’s Cabin in Lehigh Parkway and the Lardner Log Cabin in Trexler Park in Allentown, and the Zeisloff Log House and rebuilt Fort Everett in Ontelaunee Park in New Tripoli—and are owned by municipal governments or non-profit organizations. Others are owned privately.  

            Two of the log buildings on the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail are listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. They are the Shelter House on South Mountain behind Emmaus, and the Leaser Log Cabin near Leaser Lake in Lynn Township. The latter was the farmstead of Frederick Leaser who helped save the Liberty Bell (then known as the Pennsylvania state house bell) by transporting it on his farm wagon to Zion Reformed Church in Allentown where the bell was hidden beneath the floorboards of the church while the British occupied Philadelphia during part of the Revolutionary War.

            The Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail is a significant new historic tourism and educational resource in Lehigh County. It augments and compliment existing historic resources within the county, some owned and maintained by the Lehigh County Historical Society and others by various local historical societies, and can produce added economic benefits for local communities throughout the county.

            In addition, by focusing on our remaining authentic log buildings, it is hoped there will be increased public appreciation for these charming old buildings. The Lehigh County Log Cabin Committee calls particular attention to the educational opportunities associated with log cabins and other log buildings and encourages public and private schools within Lehigh County to make full and creative use of these charming reminders of our past.  

            A portion of the northern part of the log cabin trail in Lynn, Heidelberg, and Washington townships also overlaps the internationally important Kittatinny Raptor Corridor where major autumn raptor migrations annually occur along the famous Kittatinny Ridge (Blue Mountain) in these three townships and are major birding and ecotourism attractions in Lehigh and adjacent counties. Thus ecotourism and historic tourism compliment each other in these townships.

            The idea for creation of a Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail was presented in an

Opinion piece written by ornithologist and author Donald S. Heintzelman of Zionsville, and published on May 28, 2007 in The Morning Call.

            Since then, a Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee was established to move the project forward. It consists of representatives from six local historical societies, plus a few additional people with expert knowledge about log buildings in Lehigh County and beyond.

            All historical societies in Lehigh County, as well as other organizations and tourism agencies, are invited to participate in promotion and use of the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail.   

            For additional information regarding the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail go to the website or contact the persons indicated on the website.

 

Captions for attached photographs:

            The Shelter House, built in 1734, is the oldest continually occupied building in Lehigh County, PA. This log structure is located on South Mountain in Emmaus. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo courtesy of the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee.

 

            Hunter’s Cabin, built ca 1739-1741, is the oldest building remaining in Allentown, PA. It is located close to Bogert’s covered bridge in Lehigh Parkway at the intersection of Fish Hatchery Road, South 24th St., and Oxford Drive. Photo courtesy of the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee.

 

            Recreated Fort Everett (ca 1756), and the Zeisloff Log House (ca 1738-1748), are located beside each other in Ontelaunee Park along Route 143 in New Tripoli, PA. Photo courtesy of the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee. 

 

Caption for attached map:

            The approximate locations of each of the 22 log buildings on the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail.

Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Buildings

1.         Carlin Log House                                            12.       Wright Log House

2.         Miller Log House                                            13.       Remaley Log House

3.         Rothenberger Log House                                14.       German Log House

4.         Schubert-Graber Log Cabin                            15.       Bellis Log House

5.         PA Avenue Log House                                   16.       Zeisloff Log House

6.         Shelter House                                                  17.       Fort Everett

7.         Hunter’s Cabin                                                18.       Stanley Log House

8.         Bortz Log House                                            19.       Leaser Log Cabin

9.         Lardner Log Cabin                                         20.       Milot Log House

10.       Balliet Log House                                           21.       Bear Log Cabin

11.       Schneck Log House                                        22.       Kline Log Cabin

 

            Each of the trail’s three section has its own separate driving tour route, complete with detailed instructions and mileages provided, so people can select which parts of Lehigh County they wish to explore at any given time. A website for the trail provides full details for reaching each building. Map courtesy of the Lehigh County Log Cabin Trail Committee.  

 

 

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