The leaves are changing, the wind is whipping acorns into the gutters and the sky is a brilliant autumn blue, which makes it the perfect Saturday for a walk. Beginning on Cherry Lane, I make my way through the quiet residential roads of Hellertown, noticing the street signs I pass: Zimpfer, Riegel, Diehl and others.
The historic Borough Authority building (far left) and Dewey Fire Co. No. 1 are visible from the intersection of Rentzheimer Drive and Durham Street in Hellertown. (Credit: Helen Behe)
Hellertown, with its many short roads and side streets, has history on every corner. Charles Zimpfer served as Hellertown’s first police chief, while Reigel and Diehl were prominent landowners in the area. The names of local roads help to commemorate members of the community and ensure that their contributions are not lost to time.
After taking a slow jog down Easton Road, I stop to skip stones in the Saucon Creek before continuing on past Rentzheimer Drive, which connects Durham and Walnut streets. Rentzheimer Drive honors Dr. William Rentzheimer, a Hellertown resident who left the family farming business to practice as a doctor, serve as treasurer for the borough and spend a term as a secretary on the school board. The Rentzheimer family has left its footprints all over the town, beginning back in 1774, when German citizen Carl Rentzheimer immigrated to the United States. Carl settled in Hellertown as a farmer, and the 45 acres of land he farmed would eventually be sold and used for housing. The fields that once sprouted crops under the care of the Rentzheimer family now hold borough property and the collection of homes that were known as Durham Terrace. A stone farmhouse on the Rentzheimers’ land, built by Carl’s son Tobias, is now used as the Borough Authority building adjacent to the Hellertown Pool. One block over from Rentzheimer Drive is Tobias Drive, named after Tobias Rentzheimer.
Kicking acorns from the sidewalk as I head to the Post Office to mail a letter, I pass Deemer Street. Until 1946, Hellertown was under the governance of burgesses rather than mayors. George B. Deemer, who was elected burgess of Hellertown in 1894, is the man whom Deemer Street honors. Like many namesakes of the Hellertown roads, George Deemer was an altruistic and well-loved man heavily involved in local government. Deemer appears to have been something of a Renaissance man, as he held posts as varied as clerk, School Director and business owner, as well as several government positions. The First United Church of Christ on Northampton Street was built with stones from a quarry owned by George Deemer. Today, the street that bears the Deemer name is a blind alley in a quiet section of Hellertown right off Delaware Avenue.
The last leg of my jaunt leads me to Drip, the Flavor Lab for a milkshake, and I consider which flavor I’ll choose as I pass by Ackerman Street. While George Deemer benefited the town through politics, commerce and community, the namesake of Ackerman Street is an emblem of honor and inspiration for Hellertown. Ackerman Street, a small residential road off Main Street, is named after the Northampton native Edward Henry Ackerman, who served in World War I. Ackerman was born in 1895, while George Deemer was serving as burgess for Hellertown. Though Ackerman was only 19 years old when the War began, he enlisted in the United States Army as a member of the 310th Field Artillery. Despite his inexperience, Ackerman soon became a corporal and saw action in France. It was in France in 1918, the final year of the war, that Ackerman was lost in the line of duty. He was honored by the military with both a Purple Heart and a World War I Victory Medal. In Hellertown, the Ackerman name not only graces one a street but also lives on through the Edward H. Ackerman American Legion Post 397.
Having spent the afternoon experiencing Hellertown through streets named for burgesses, doctors and corporals, I rest on a bench in Detwiller Plaza, and take a moment to reflect on the town’s people and places. It occurs to me that the unique character of Hellertown was formed partly by the ways in which past citizens served their well-loved town. Some of those citizens lived their whole lives in Saucon Valley, while others were led farther away—as far as another continent. Yet they are remembered equally for their dedication to the people, and their determination to care for the place which they all called home.
Helen Behe is an MFA candidate at DeSales University, where she is studying through the program’s poetry track for a degree in creative writing and publishing. Aside from her studies, Helen enjoys gardening, boxing and rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. She is a resident of Bethlehem. Read more of Helen’s Then & Now series here.