Abandoned Textile Mill in Bethlehem PA

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The Bethlehem Silk Mill in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania is a historic factory complex of seven interconnected buildings that, starting in 1886, evolved from a small commission throwing mill of two buildings to a large throwing and weaving facility with nine functionally related buildings by 1901. It was one of the largest and earliest silk mills in the Lehigh Valley throughout the early twentieth century. The history of the Company is 1886 to 1953, spanning seven decades from its initial date of construction to the year the Bethlehem Silk Company was dissolved under bankruptcy and the property was sold.

The silk industry has a long-established tradition in the United States as one of the earliest and most prominent industries along the East Coast. Paterson, NJ was the first community in the United States to capitalize on the profitability of producing finished silk products for mass consumption domestically and overseas. Beginning with the founding of the first silk mill in 1838, the silk industry in Paterson grew exponentially into the early 20^th Century. Paterson soon became known as "Silk City" and thrived in a market close to the international port and fashion community of New York City and in a region inundated with cheap immigrant labor.

By the early 1880s, however, Paterson silk companies were feeling the pressures of labor unrest; numerous strikes by the silk workers impacted not only manufacturing schedules but also pocketbooks. The silk companies looked to eastern Pennsylvania, particularly the Lehigh Valley and the Pocono region, as potential areas for expansion. Labor could be garnered cheaply and without the burdens of unionized workers. In 1880, the Phoenix Silk Manufacturing Corporation established its first satellite silk mill and the first silk mill in the Lehigh Valley in Allentown, PA. The Adelaide Silk Mill set the precedent for what would become one of the Lehigh Valley's defining industries of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As Andree Mey, notes in his history of the silk industry in the Lehigh Valley, "the arrival of the silk industry [to the Lehigh Valley] brought much-needed diversification to the area's economic base, which was dependent on the declining iron industry [after the Panic of 1873]." By 1883, the Easton Silk Company was in business in downtown Easton, the third city of the Lehigh Valley.

Bethlehem's industrial heritage, including that related to the silk industry, has its roots in the eighteenth-century Moravian community founded on the banks of the Lehigh River and continued to grow as transportation enhancements and the city's profitable location encouraged the establishment of many various types of industrial facilities. While the monumental Bethlehem Steel Company dominated the industrial landscape, many other interests were located in and around the city of Bethlehem. Textile-based industries were started in or relocated to heavy industrial cities like Bethlehem because of the available and abundant female and child workforce. While husbands and fathers were required for the labor-intensive, physically demanding jobs of the steel-related industries, few women and children, particularly girls, were hired in these factories. The textile factories were then able to tap into this large local population of unused labor to their benefit.

In Bethlehem, the arrival of the silk industry came in 1885, when a group of citizens started taking subscriptions to build the Bethlehem silk mill on W. Goepp Street. In March 1886, local businessman John C. Schropp purchased a one-acre parcel of vacant land from the estate of C.D. Trumbauer and soon after constructed a three-story brick mill building and associated engine house. The company was incorporated in 1886 under the name of Bethlehem Silk Company with a capital of $60,000. Although the building's architect has not been identified through the course of this research, the design of this factory is typical of industrial buildings from the Late Victorian era, with cornice line "brackets" and other stylistic quotations executed in brick corbelling suggestive of the Italianate style. The plan, as well, reflects the ubiquitous late nineteenth factory floor plan with long wide open spaces, large windows and monitors for light and air, and small, vernacular office spaces.

From this location, Schropp ran a factory of commission silk throwsters that, as described above, transformed raw silk into thread ready for weaving most likely for weaving mills in northeastern Pennsylvania or nearby New Jersey. The term "silk throwster" describes the person, specifically, or mill, generally, which prepares silk thread for weaving. Throwing is a cumbersome process that takes raw silk strands and twists them together to create a strong thread suitable for weaving. Thrown silk could vary in weight and thickness depending on the specifications of the weaving mill and their product, i.e. ribbons versus umbrellas. Silk manufacturers either threw their own silk as part of the in-house production process or purchased thrown silk from commission throwsters who prepared their product to specification. A commission silk throwster could be one person working out of their home on a set of small machines or a large company employing a large workforce to operate the various machines and processes involved in "throwing" silk." The word "commission" is used to describe the piecemeal nature of the work, whereas the individual throwster or the company would be paid by the number of pieces thrown.

Within the same year, 1886, two other silk mills were started in Bethlehem: the Lipps and Sutton mill at Clewell and Seneca streets in South Bethlehem and the Sauquoit Mills in West Bethlehem. The Cutter Mill, established in 1890 and producing silk by 1891 was soon added to the roster of 'competitors.' These mills, operating in different sections of the city, share common characteristics of late 19^th Century mill construction: long brick buildings three to four stories in height, roof monitors and hundreds of large windows for light and ventilation, wide unbroken expanses of floor space to house machinery and employees, a location central to transportation facilities, and aesthetics expressed through vernacular brick detailing. Started literally within months of each other, these three competitors were considered some of the best silk mills in the state, as evidenced from the following excerpt from an 1890 interview with the state's deputy factory inspector:

On December 31, 1892, Schropp sold the land held in his name to the corporate ownership of the Bethlehem Silk Company which included "all that three-story brick silk mill and lot...together with the engine boilers, and machinery..." for a mortgaged cost of $57,947.90. The 1892 Sanborn map for the property shows a three-story brick building with a two-story addition to the east and an engine house to the north off of the mills' northwest corner. Spinning, reeling, and doubling were carried out on the 1^st floor, and winding was relegated to the second floor. The office was located in the front building along with shipping and winding areas; a small building along the mill's north facade held the soaking and supply rooms and the machine shop. The building was designed to take advantage of the southern exposure of abundant natural light with a 185' wall consisting primarily of large wood windows; these large windows also provided ventilation for the workers. Gas lights further illuminated the work floors, coal was the principal fuel source, and heat and power were steam-operated.

In April 1896, the Bethlehem Silk Company purchased two small adjacent parcels of undeveloped land; this is when they likely took on a large capital campaign to enlarge from a commission silk-throwing company to a full-scale silk manufacturing facility that housed all silk-producing processes under one roof. The 1897 Sanborn map illustrates that the building's footprint expanded by 50% with an exact replica of the first building constructed on the north half of the lot and connected at the east and west ends to form its distinct open rectangular plan. With this expansion, the building now housed spinning, reeling, and doubling on the first floors, winding on the second floors, and weaving on the third floor of Building B. Employee quarters were added in the new section along Silk Alley, and a drying room was attached to Building C at the northwest corner of the property. The articulated brick facades that defined the original 1886 buildings were continued on the new sections, as were other character-defining features such as the large windows, the open floor plan and exceptionally well-lit work floors.

The Bethlehem Silk Company expanded its building and silk throwing and weaving capacity again in May 1901. This land acquisition coincided with yet another expansion campaign, whereby the factory largely achieved its current appearance. This campaign included the addition of Building D at the northwestern corner of the property and the replacement of the two-story office block at the corner of W. Goepp and Silk Alley with a larger, more substantial four-story building to house the main offices, the shipping department, and parts of the winding and weaving departments. The Building A office block is the most highly decorative and architecturally articulated section of the building. Although the typical stylistic devices were used, the amount and scale of the corbelling combined with the large paired windows and decorative parapet walls with square corner posts communicated an impression of prosperity and affluence. It is possible that local Bethlehem architect Alden H. Leh designed the main office block. This is most strongly supported by Leh's use of signature brick corner posts on the mill's main facades at its most prominent corner. Leh was active in the Lehigh Valley region at the turn of the twentieth century and is credited with the design of many of the area's schools, churches, and commercial buildings.

In 1905, the mill was running 49,500 spindles for throwing and employed a total of 350 people. The employees were largely women and children, which was the traditional labor force for textile-related industries of the late 19^th and early 20^th century. According to the 1910 federal population census, most of the silk mill workers from the neighborhoods surrounding the Bethlehem Silk Company were immigrant women and children over the age of 12. The males in each family typically worked at Bethlehem Steel. By this period, the Bethlehem Silk Mill was one of 50 commission throwsters and thrown silk mills in the entire state and one of 122 mills weaving broad silks.

According to the 1905 periodical. Davison's Silk Trade, Bethlehem proper had five silk industries, and South and West Bethlehem each had one mill. Following are there production and employment details for the first few years of the 20^th Century as taken from Davison's 1905 guide:

What these figures represent is that, at the turn of the twentieth century, the Bethlehem Silk Company was the only silk company operating solely as a commission throwster. The Lehigh Valley Silk Mills, the only other company involved with silk throwing in Bethlehem, had nearly half as many spindles and is not listed a "commission" throwster; they likely threw silk for their own use. As none of the other local companies were listed as housing throwing operations, it is highly likely that the Bethlehem Silk Company was supplying the local silk companies. It is also clear that the Bethlehem Silk Company is the only locally owned and operated company.

In 1910, the Company purchased its last and final two parcels of land, a lot from A.B. Fichter and the small northeastern corner lot that was once the cemetery for the local St. John's Evangelical Church. This land is marked "Grave Yard" on the period maps of 1874 through 1904. Given that the area is listed consistently as a graveyard on early maps and is specifically not listed as a graveyard on the 1912 Sanborn map, it is clear that the cemetery was likely moved along with the church to South Bethlehem in 1910. By 1912, there was no additional site expansion, although additional warping and weaving space was added in Building D.

While many other smaller textile-based companies settled in Bethlehem in the 1900s and 1910s, the Bethlehem Silk Mill continued to be one of the largest employers in the Bethlehem area. When the "Three Bethlehems" (Bethlehem, West Bethlehem, and South Bethlehem) were consolidated into the City of Bethlehem in 1917, the area's biggest industrial employer was Bethlehem Steel with 30,000 employees. The Bethlehem Silk Mill of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills in South Bethlehem tied as the next largest employers with 600 people each. Many other local textile-based industries employed anywhere from 50 to 250 people. In Bethlehem, the value of silk manufactured goods was approximately 4% of the total of all products manufactured in the city.

In 1918, the Bethlehem Silk Mill housed 50,000 spindles, 170 looms, 6 boilers and employed 600 workers. The Gallia Silk Mill in South Bethlehem had 8,000 spindles, 480 looms, 3 boilers and employed 300 workers. The Lehigh Valley Silk Mills, comprised of two mills in South Bethlehem and one in Coplay, PA, were also throwing silk and weaving with 50,000 spindles, no looms, 6 boilers and employed 600 workers. These figures evidence that, at the height of the silk industry, the two largest silk businesses continued to be the Bethlehem Silk Company and the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills with the same number of spindles for throwing silk, employees, and boilers; in addition to commission throwing, the Bethlehem Silk Company had expanded into additional product output by weaving finished silk products with their 170 looms. A key difference between the two companies was the distribution of the work tasks and employees: Bethlehem Silk Company housed all of their facilities and employees under one roof in one location while the same number of machines and employees were spread across three separate facilities for the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills.

By 1920, the Lehigh Valley had become the second most important silk manufacturing region in the country and the most important in the state. Well into its fourth decade of business, the mill continued as a local company owned by local businessmen, a key difference from its New York City-owned competitors like the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills or the Cutter Silk Mill. A 1925 special anniversary edition of the Bethlehem Globe Times lists a total of 11 textile-related mills in Bethlehem; it is clear from the listing that at least six of those companies were exclusively devoted to the silk industry. The list included the Bethlehem Silk Mill, the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills, the Gallia Silk Mills, Joseph Wein & Co., Sauquoit Silk Company, Manhattan Silk Co., Wyandotte Silk Mill, J.F. & C.K. Eagle Mills, the Modern Throwing Co., Wahl's Ribbon Mill, and R. L. Laros. Of the silk industries listed, the Bethlehem Silk Mill jockeyed for the position of the largest mill with its biggest competitor, the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills.

The economic decline of the Bethlehem Silk Mill, and Lehigh Valley silk industry in general, started in the 1930s. Its greatest rival, the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills, filed for bankruptcy by 1939. Many factors were involved, including the introduction of synthetic fabrics, far-reaching federal labor reforms, a 1941 ban on the importation of Japanese silk, and the rise of labor unions that forced manufacturers into cheaper Southern markets. Because of these significant changes, a record number of silk businesses closed in the decade between the Great Depression and World War II. The Bethlehem Silk Company, perhaps because it was a diversified local company versus a specialized satellite factory, fared these crises better than most of their competitors but was still forced to lay off a significant number of employees. Research to date has found no evidence that the Bethlehem Silk Company received government military contracts, which may have helped the company stay in business in the 1940s.

In 1948, under the threat of bankruptcy, the foundering Bethlehem Silk Company was re-organized as the Regent Textile Company, Inc. of Delaware, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bethlehem Textile Mills, Inc. The company had survived in a failing textile industry for decades beyond its competitors but could no longer contend with market forces that continued to rely more and more on synthetic materials, a dwindling and expensive labor force, and overseas imports. There was no evidence that indicated that the Bethlehem Silk Mill attempted to adapt to market forces by producing synthetic materials. Finally, in 1953, the Bethlehem Textile Mills declared bankruptcy and the Mill Realty Company purchased the property at auction for $180,000. In the region as a whole, only 20% of the mills operating in the 1920s were still in business in the 1950s. The Mill Realty Company owned the property through the turn of the twenty-first century, and rented the various buildings out to different textile interests well into the late 1970s. Despite the constant stream of businesses through the buildings, only minor changes were made throughout the site. The building has stood vacant since 1980.

Site Description

Constructed in 1886 and expanded ca. 1896 and ca. 1901, the Bethlehem Silk Mill is a large factory complex of seven buildings situated at the corner of West Goepp Street and Mauch Chunk Road in Bethlehem, Northampton County, PA. It is located in the northern section of the city along the Monacacy Creek and the rail lines of the former Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad. This intact mill complex has a total of 7 interconnected buildings which form an open rectangular plan around two central courtyards. The brick walls of each building are dominated by regularly spaced bays of large nine-over-nine double-hung wood windows and exhibit varying degrees of decorative brick corbelling along the cornice lines which lend the mill its Late Victorian style. The interiors of the buildings that make up this complex reflect its industrial heritage with open office and manufacturing spaces.

The Bethlehem Silk Mill occupies nearly the entire footprint of its 2-acre parcel, which is defined by W. Goepp Street to the south, Silk Alley to the east, Mauch Chunk Road to the west, and a private unnamed alley to the north. It is located at the western edge of a predominantly residential neighborhood along the north edge of the City of Bethlehem near the Lehigh County/Northampton County border. Parking lots border the northern boundary of the lot and are also located to the east of Silk Alley; these lots once served the silk mill but are not part of the property historically associated with the mill during the period of significance. The main facade of the building faces east to Silk Alley although the main entrance is located just around the corner off of W. Goepp Street.

All buildings in the complex are constructed of red brick with stone foundations; the aesthetics are further unified by the use of nine-over-nine wood windows on all facades. A combination of slate, metal, and asphalt roofs cover the entire complex, and vegetation has grown extensively and aggressively over the building. Characteristic of industrial architecture of the Late Victorian era, the architectural style and detailing is expressed primarily through decorative brick corbelling along the rooflines of the street-facing facades that are evocative of Italianate-type brackets. Highly articulated features like corner posts, short parapet walls, and central towers, particularly on the prominent corner office building, further ornament this turn-of-the-century factory. The interiors of the various mill buildings are typical of the site and of the period, with ubiquitous exposed brick walls, unfinished wood floors, and open beam ceilings in a majority of the spaces.

The current plan results from a series of expansions that have formed an open rectangular plan with two enclosed courtyards interconnected by passages. Because of the accretion of buildings, the complex is naturally and physically divided into distinct sections or phases of construction. Section 1, built in 1886, includes "Mill #2" (Building B), the Boiler House (Building G), and machine shop (Building F); Section 2, built ca. 1896, includes "Mill #5" (Building C) and a drying room (Building E); and Section 3, built ca. 1901, includes Building A and "Mill #6" (Building D).? The sequence of building phases and circa dates of dates of construction are clearly supported by physical evidence and period Sanborn maps.

Section 1 was built in 1886 by John Schropp and includes Buildings B, F, and G as noted on the enclosed floor plans. Building B is three stories tall, 25 bays long and oriented parallel to W. Goepp Street. A narrow roof monitor extends the length of the building along the ridge. This section features a corbelled brick cornice along each of the facades with brick pilasters vertically dividing each bay at the second and third stories and corbelled window heads above the third story. The roof monitor is defined on the east and west facades by a central tower marked on either side by square brick columns capped at the ends with decorative pressed metal finials. The roof monitor tower on the east facade has been obscured by the construction of Building A, which replaced a two-story office block connected to the eastern facade of Building B ca. 1901.? The original segmental arched wood 9-over-9 sash remains in place in fair condition; selective openings have been infilled with concrete block. Two first-floor entrances access Building B and feature paired wood doors with large glass transoms in each entrance. On the west facade, two additional door openings - one intact and one infilled - are located on the second and third floors. Building B would have originally housed all of the silk mill functions - spinning, reeling, winding, etc. - within one building, likely with a different function per floor. The interior of Building B retains its open floor plan with a narrow wood stair at both the east and west ends. Each floor is marked by a center row of round wood columns, unfinished wood floors, exposed brick walls, and open beam ceilings. On the third floor, the monitor is visible above the open roof trusses.

Building F is attached to Building B along the north facade in approximately the center of the building. This three-story red brick building with gable roof extends 6 bays to the north and is 24' wide. A hipped roof stair tower marks the juncture with Building B. Tall rectangular 4-over-4 wood windows mark each floor and one wood entrance door is located on both the east and west facades; on the third floor, the 4-over-4 wood windows are square. Building F was originally built as two stories and housed the soaking and supply rooms on the first floor and the machine shop on the second floor; the third story was added ca. 1901 and is noted on the 1912 Sanborn map as "inspections". The interior is defined by exposed brick walls, wood floors, and open ceilings. The first floor has been subdivided into three rooms while the upper floors remain open and connected to Building C on the second floor.

Building G is attached to Building B at its northwest corner via a small passage and functioned as the boiler house/engine room. This one-and-a-half-story, gable-roof brick building is plainly detailed as a utilitarian structure with simple brick pilasters marking each bay and brick corbelling above the first floor. A combination of 9-over-9 wood windows, wood doors, and a wood garage door punctuate the first floor walls; on the upper story, small 6-light fixed sash, many of which are missing, are located along the north and south facades. The open interior is defined by a concrete floor, exposed brick walls, and exposed metal trusses. A tall brick smokestack, the top half of which is missing, is located off the northeastern corner of Building G.

Section 2 was built ca. 1896 by the Bethlehem Silk Company and includes Building C and Building E as noted on the enclosed floor plans. Building C is a two-story, 24-bays-by 10-bays brick building banked into a slope on the northern end of the property. This L-shaped mill section is oriented with its short facade facing Silk Alley and the long facade running along the southern edge of the parking lot. Building C is attached to the west end of Building B via a narrow set of suspended passageways covered with corrugated metal and a brick passageway and a 2 story hipped roof stair tower in the east courtyard. Like the rest of the factory, Building C is constructed of red brick on a stone foundation. Brick pilasters punctuate the verticality of the building to mark each structural bay. The slightly pitched hipped metal roof is hidden by a tall parapet wall along the east facade; simple brick corbelling ornaments the cornice of the parapet while the exposed eaves along the north and south walls lack any exterior ornamentation. Aside from the cornice line, stepped brick corbelling stylistically identical to that found on Building B is located beneath the second-floor windows on the east and south facades and beneath the third-floor windows on the north facade. Also tying this building aesthetically to the rest of the factory is the use of the large 9-over-9 wood windows on all facades. One large contemporary service entrance is located on the first (ground) floor of the east facade. The interior of Building C is virtually identical to that of Building B and is defined by exposed brick walls, unfinished wood floors, a center row of round metal columns, and exposed ceilings. A stair tower near the eastern and western ends of the building provides internal access between floors. During the period of significance, Building C housed the silk manufacturing functions of spinning and reeling on the first floor and winding on the second floor.

Building E is attached to the west end of Building C and connects to the first floor to Buildings B and G via a one-story brick passageway along the north wall of Building G. This three-story red brick building with a hipped roof is 4 bays long and approximately 29' wide with only the west facade exposed to the exterior. A site-typical 9-over-9 wood window punctuates each bay along the flat western facade; on the third floor, the 9-over-9 windows are square. A single exterior entrance, marked by paired wood doors and a large multi-light transom, is located in the southern corner. On this rear facade, ornamentation is limited to segmental brick arches over the windows and stepped brick corbelling below the third-floor windows, a stylistic device used throughout the site. Like virtually all of the other sections of the factory, Building E's interior is characterized by unfinished wood floors, exposed brick walls, and open ceilings. Building E originally housed the drying rooms on all floors.

Section 3 was built ca. 1901 by the Bethlehem Silk Company and includes Buildings A and D. Building A is the four-story section located at the intersection of W. Goepp Street and Silk Alley that replaced an earlier two-story brick building of the same footprint. In this corner location, it is the most prominent section of the factory, and its importance is reflected in its highly detailed design and ornamentation. Building A is constructed of red brick walls on a stone foundation with a flat roof. This square, four-story building is connected to Buildings B and C by a series of metal-enclosed passageways that span the 3'3" opening between the two buildings. Like the rest of the factory, decorative brickwork is used to impart Late Victorian stylistic detailing to the main facades. Brick pilasters are again used to vertically emphasize the height of the building and brick corbels draws attention to the cornice lines and window bays. Also contributing to the aesthetics of Building A is the short section of parapet wall located in the center of both the south and east facades. This parapet features a simple corbelled cornice marked at each end by a large square finial with a pressed metal pyramidal cap; this finial also marks each corner of the building. Site typical 9-over-9 wood windows are used predominantly on both facades; in the center bay of the south facade the windows are paired within one large opening. On the second floor level, 6-over-6 wood windows have been used in select locations, largely related to the original location of the shipping department. On the east facade, the center bay of windows have been infilled with recessed brick in connection with the installation of an interior elevator. The factory's main entrance is located in the western corner of this facade and features paired glass and wood doors set into a paneled opening shielded by a simple wood porch. Contemporary alterations include the installation of a loading bay in the eastern corner of the south facade and the installation of a single pedestrian door in a former window along the east facade.

Originally, Building A housed the office on the first floor, shipping department on the second floor, winding on the 3^rd floor, and weaving on the 4^th floor, and the current plan and condition of this building reflects those various functions. The first floor is divided into a series of rooms, most of which are defined by beaded board walls, unfinished wood floors, and beaded board ceilings. In some locations, the bead board has been replaced with contemporary paneling. Along the south and east walls, vestiges of the original window panels, and window and door surrounds survive. The second floor includes a contemporary office area of wood paneling in the southwest corner. The balance of the second floor, and the third and fourth floors are open work spaces defined with the site typical exposed brick walls, unfinished wood floor, and exposed ceilings.

Building D is located in the northwest corner of the factory and positioned perpendicular to Building C. This simple rectangular brick utilitarian building is three stories tall with a gable roof, five bays wide, and twelve bays long. It is internally connected to buildings C and E through a series of passageways in the southeastern corner of the building. On the exterior, a brick stair tower, contemporary CMU elevator shaft, and loading dock marks the intersection of Buildings C and D. Aside from brick pilasters defining the bays, the segmental brick arches over the windows, and the exposed wood eaves, there is no exterior ornamentation on Building D similar to what is found throughout the factory. The site-typical 9-over-9 wood windows mark each bay of the east, north, and west facades. The center bay of the north facade features an infilled doorway on the first floor and two sets of paired herringbone-patterned wood doors on both of the upper floors. Originally this section was used for weaving and warping. Today, the vacant space reflects its original open floor work plan with exposed brick walls, unfinished wood floors, and exposed ceilings. A line of simple wood center posts and trusses runs the length of the floor.

Looking northwest at east and south facades of Building A (2004)

Looking north at south facade of Building B (2004)

Looking east at west facade of Building B (2004)

Looking northeast at west facade of Building B and the south facade of Building G (2004)

Looking southwest at east facade of Building D and the north facade of Building C (2004)

Looking southwest at east facade of Building C (foreground) and Building A (background) (2004)

Looking northeast at the south and west facades of the stair tower in the northeast corner of the East Courtyard (2004)

Typical interior condition, Building A, 2^nd Floor (2004)

Typical interior condition, Building C, 3^rd Floor (2004)

Typical Interior condition, Building D, 3^rd Floor (2004)

Hipped roof framing, stair tower in East Courtyard (2004)