Silk Stories Unveiled at Historic Bethlehem

A new exhibition at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites tells the fascinating story of silk production in the Lehigh Valley through collections of historic textiles.

Unspun: Stories of Silk begins with the attic cocooneries of Moravian Bethlehem. The exhibition also explores the regional silk industry’s dominance and how silk impacted the global fashion marketplace.

The exhibition includes a selection of rare cold weather wear, including silk gloves, silk-insulated boots and a fur-lined coat from Frances Martin, who helped to save Bethlehem’s 1810 Goundie House from demolition. Wedding dresses on loan for a limited time from fashion designer Barbara Kavchok and purses from the collection of Ilene Wood are also part of the show.

Displays are located at Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, 427 N. New Street; Moravian Museum, 66 W. Church Street; and the National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. 2nd Street, through April 28.

Admission to the exhibition is free for members of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites and the National Museum of Industrial History, as well as children under 6. Non-members can purchase tickets for $30 for adults and $22 for children (ages 7-18). Tickets can also be purchased to each site individually.

For more information, visit HistoricBethlehem.org.

This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.