Our History
The history of Bethlehem’s negroes begins in the 1860s with the arrival of Hiram Bradley, industrialist Tinsley Jeter’s servant. Negroes worked for the early industrialists such as the Sayre’s, Wilbur’s, Packer’s, and others. Later, they worked as secretaries, nurses, doctors, lawyers, cooks, waiters, and steelworkers, with major participation in the Unions. Many were able to provide their families with a middle-class life. A few owned their own businesses such as barbershops, hairdressers, cleaning, catering, boarding houses and sanitation services. They organized and supported their own social and fraternal organizations such as the Elk’s, Masons, Eastern Star, Colored Voters’ Association and more. The church was a central focus in their lives.
Due to discrimination, black graduates could not gain employment in Bethlehem forcing them to relocate throughout the country.
Gradually blacks gained employment after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed. We will tell some of these stories.
One such story is that of the heritage center’s namesake Esther May Lee. Esther Lee was an outspoken force in Bethlehem for more than fifty years, and continues to be. Esther’s advocacy began in 1960 after her children entered into the Bethlehem Area School District and issues developed. When she became Madison Elementary School’s PTA president… her political career began.
Her story is but one of the many beautiful threads woven into the tapestry of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley’s rich African American history. The goal of the Esther M Lee African American Heritage Center is to uncover and celebrate the many impactful stories of those who have come this far by faith.
Stories and Legacies
Bethlehem's First Black Businessman
Abraham was Bethlehem’s first black businessman, a well-known caterer and owner of properties in South Bethlehem. He also ran a tea room in the 500 block of Cherokee Street. Abraham had the property at 627 Cherokee Street built in 1890.
Abraham Lane
Hiram Bradley
Hiram Bradley (1814-1881), was the first Black person to arrive in Bethlehem in 1860, from Powhattan County, Virginia. He was an indentured servant to Tinsley Jeter, one of South Bethlehem’s leading entrepreneurs.
Hiram Bradley
Elizabeth Farmer Beville
Elizabeth was a member of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, Allentown. In her faithfulness to God, she taught Sunday School, served as president of the Missionary Society. founder of the Zionettes and the Pearls of Joy Choirs, Church Organist and promoter of the annual “This Is Your Life” Awards
Elizabeth Farmer Beville
Zora Martin Felton
First African American graduate of Moravian College
The first Black graduate from Moravian College for Women in 1952, Zora Martin Felton died March 11, at the age of 91. A trailblazer and force for positive change in her community, both while growing up in the Lehigh Valley and during her career in Washington, D.C., as a museum curator.
Olivia Palmer Clark
Teacher and Hampton University Graduate
Olivia P. Clark, a graduate of Hampton University, came to Bethlehem in the 1920s. She was a teacher and organizer of the J. F. Goodwin Scholarship Club. At that time she was also a cook at the University Club in Bethlehem.
James F. Goodwin
J. F. Goodwin Scholarship Fund Founder
The J. F. Goodwin Scholarship Club was founded in 1935 by Dr. J. F. Goodwin, a young black physician who saw a great need, in the black community of Bethlehem, to help students continue their education.
Bert Tarboro, Jr.
Blue Mountain League and Tri-County League Baseball Hall of Famer
Bert Tarboro Jr., 85, of Bethlehem, a Blue Mountain League and Tri-County League baseball hall-of-famer, died Tuesday, August 17, 1999. He was the husband of the late Louise (Edmondson) Tarboro. He worked for Bethlehem Steel Corp. for 43 years before retiring as a foreman in 1979. Simultaneously, he was a counselor for troubled youth in Northampton County.
Maria Walton
Local Beautician
Mrs. Maria Palmer Walton, born in 1894
in Virginia, was the local beautician/hairdresser in Bethlehem beginning in the late 1950s through the 1960s.
Ada Brady
Teacher and Hampton University Graduate
Ada Pauline Brady of Bethlehem, PA, was born in Newport News, VA, in 1922. Ada was reared in Bethlehem and is a graduate of Liberty High School. She received her Bachelors Degree in Social Work from Hampton University and
“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.”
~Maya Angelou