1954 - Bethlehem, Pa. - Our Home Town

[@patriciadonnelly1383]

I loved this video. I was only 10 years old, in 1954. But, that`s what I remember about our Christmas City!!

[@johnrrosario]

I was two years old and lived in Puerto Rico, when this was filmed. My family moved to Bethlehem in '57. I don't see South Terrace, where I lived, or The Village, on the northeast side of town, where my future wife lived. Eventually, we moved to the parts of town that are in this video - places I hung out at, Holy Infancy Catholic Church, Main Street. It most definitely brings back many memories of what I consider to be "My Home Town". Thank you for posting it.

[@Fishwacker59]

OMG!!! Truly awesome video transfer. Thank you kindly for sharing this with us. I was 2 years old when this was taken and actually worked for Andy Petrilla at his fuel company during summer break in high school. 👍 ✌❤

[@Cat-jq2me]

This is great. Brings back a lot of childhood memories growing up in Bethlehem. My father was stationed at the armory on 2nd Ave & Prospect Ave. So we moved here in '58. & I was 2. Although we were stationed all over America & Europe, we always came back home, to Bethlehem.

[@spiritharris2528]

This gives me pride in where I was born and still live to this day thanks for the upload

[@lebronsteps9296]

Bunky & doodie hood

[@RadCenter]

The locations I spotted in this video: • Main Street, looking south • The Hill-to-Hill Bridge, looking south from the roundabout at the original northern terminus of the bridge • The police department in front of the police station in the old South Bethlehem Market House on East Third Street (demolished) • Firemen in front of the Victory Firehouse on Fillmore Street (now Victory House) • Police and Firemen's Athletic League • Brown-Borhek Lumber Company on West Third Street and under the H2H Bridge on the north side • Petrilla Coal Company, Graham Place and Vine Street (demolished?) • Stone's Department Store, West Broad Street (now Apollo Grill ) • Miller Auto Parts & Service, 1021 Main Street (now Lyn M. Soper, DDS) • Kilpatrick Lincoln Mercury, 13-19 East Elizabeth Avenue (now Armed Forces recruiting offices and Chris Remmel Opticians) • Highway Auto Body, 821 Monocacy Street (now Northside Highway Auto Body & Collision Center) • Finkelstein's Jewelers (two locations), 105 East Third Street (vacant?) and 58 West Broad Street (demolished) • Pure Food Restaurant, 11 West Broad Street (demolished) • Fritch Fuel Company, 116 River Street (still in business!) • Hauser Chevrolet (two locations), possibly new building built in 1954 at East Broad and Elm Streets (later demolished?) and car lot at West Union Boulevard (where Dave & Wayned Auto Center is now) • Szep's Dairy, 822 Evans Street (now vacant lot) • Dieter Brothers Fuel Company, Newton Avenue (now Stefko Boulevard) • Giant Floor Covering, 232 East Third (now Pronto Insurance and Notary) • Modern Cleaners and Dyers, 530 West Broad Street (now Alloy5 Architecture) • Historic Hotel Bethlehem • Saucon Park • Liberty High School (with bowling alley in background) • Bethlehem Globe-Times office at Brodhead Avenue and West Fourth Street (now Barreform) • Central Moravian Church • Holy Infancy Church • Bethlehem Drive-In, Easton Avenue • Palace Theatre, 206 East Third Street (partially demolished after collapse; now apartments) What a great time capsule. Thanks for digitizing and posting, Ray!

[@19king14]

Nancy - You know your town and history!! I'm glad you could catch the Bethlehem Globe-Times office. It went by quick and wasn't clearly identified. Now to identify some of the people! :)

[@bethboyer5623]

Forwarded to some Central members, working on a list of names from faces we see.

[@reneemellace7409]

I wasn't born until 1963 but I remember a lot of those places. Finklesteins brings back so many memories. My Grammy used to take me everywhere with her, downtown, on the bus from New Street, all over. THANK YOU! 😊

[@rayburnett3253]

This was about 2 years after I was born. I was born in August of 1952. I am so very proud that you shared this video with me. Thank you

[@zinf5140]

Dang this is crazy to see how the city used to look like

[@bpd231martinko9]

Highway Auto Body was the only place in the Lehigh Valley right up into the 1980's to have your radiator repaired properly. Now the are made of plastic and are unrepairable if damaged.

[@janiceostock14]

I saw my father go by at 11:10..

[@bethboyer5623]

Found my parents, Al and Betty William leaving Central Moravian Church

[@TrinityMoravian]

That's Marvin Henkelmann greeting them in a white suit at 12:41

[@jrutt2675]

That is a beautiful Church!

[@georgescherer7021]

I am George's wife and I remember all of those places because we lived just a block from downtown. My cousin Stanley Zweifel was the police chief but that was at a later time. My dad once played softball on the Bethlehem softball team but again that was before the 1950's. My Mom took me to Stone's clothing store on Broad St. and Young Folks Bazaar on Main Street for my clothing because they had "chubby" sizes! I remember all the firehouses. My dad would take me to the Central Fire Co. or the Reliance Fire Co. because we could get a hot dog for a dime! He loved hot dogs until the day he died! My Mom worked at Sure-Fit Products Co. which was located under the Hill-to-Hill Bridge at that time before they moved to the Laros Bldg. on Broad Street. My husband tried to purchase an onyx ring for me while he was still in the US Navy and they wouldn't give him credit! So he went home and cashed a few "war bonds" to make the purchase! I recognize Natalie Nadele because that's where I bought my wedding gown! Fritch Fuel sold a lot of coal to the folks in Bethlehem. Later when we had oil furnaces, we used Dieter Brothers which was located on Stefko Blvd. I don't see any football protection being used for LHS football practice. Central Moravian in downtown Bethlehem was the big church. I saw Rev. Henklemann in the video who was pastor of Central at that time. My Mom didn't want to go to Central even though we lived close by because she though that church was for the wealthy. I remember all of the movie theaters as well. Thank you to the person who posted this video. It brought back a lot of memories. Fortunately, Bethlehem was a historic city begun by the Moravians and many of the old buildings have been preserved and are on the Register of Historical Buildings. The city has moved to the South Side and it's redevelopment since Bethlehem Steel is no longer there.

[@twinthebeast5point354]

I loved it so much 👍🤙🏼🍻

[@bpd231martinko9]

Zep's Dairy on Evans St., what a shame, we tore it apart during SWAT training in the 1990's.

[@americanfastfoodstories]

Excellent !!

[@hankjonkman1893]

This is great!

[@bpd231martinko9]

The police station the cops are coming out of was at 3rd and Adams Sts. on the south side. This was the police station for the city until the new town hall and police station was built at 10 E. Church St. in the mid sixties. I was told by old timers, when I got on the job in 1989, that there was a farmers market or a poultry market on the first floor of the building and that they had huge rats that used to get into the police station upstairs because of this.

[@briannapalladino7933]

Love this!!!

[@robinhayes4508]

Kids did it both born in Bethlehem pa

[@rapman5791]

5:32 you won’t find a bargain, but come to the rear and you may find a “bargin “ 😂😂

[@perryiampietro5785]

That’s a lotta cops!

[@winkytiki]

apparently this place hasnt changed a bit since 1954,,everything and the people look the same

[@1114marco]

ummm...not really.

[@paulgross8037]

That’s actually when Bethlehem had a caring community no morals left anymore

[@davefrompa5334]

What ? Nothing about the Steel ? Good film otherwise.

[@TrinityMoravian]

Stock soundtrack, it would be local businesses who paid to be in the local promo - Steel wouldn't care about local publicity, esp under Eugene Grace.

[@jrutt2675]

@@TrinityMoravian True. Charles Schwab made it the iconic business it became. The other CEO's ruined it.

[@1114marco]

Was made by and intended to boost small, local businesses. Steel was not exactly small.

[@BarkinMADDOX]

Where are the black people at? Lol

[@davidgibson7615]

Not a brotha in sight. 🤣

[@jrutt2675]

The Lions club had a black person. Liberty High football team had two.

[@huliediggs5712]

@@jrutt2675 That one person of color if you noticed that he was blind ,that gentleman was Deacon Eddie Pierce Church pianist for St Paul Baptist Church on 2nd and Carbon. Located in the Northampton Heights back in the day.

[@sk8corpuz]

creepy