Lehigh county, named for the Lehigh River, was created on March 6, 1812, from part of Northampton County. The word “Lehigh” is derived from the Native American term “Uchauwekink,” meaning ‘where there are forks.’ Allentown, the county seat, was incorporated as the Borough of Northampton in 1811 and chartered as a city in 1867. English, Scotch-Irish, Welsh and German settlers were living in the Lehigh Valley by the early 1700’s thanks to ‘The Walking Purchase, a land deal with the resident Lenni Lenape Indians. It might better be called “The Running Purchase,” as it was a thinly veiled land grab—and bad blood– by the English; the French and Indian War was the outcome of bad practices such as this between English and Native Americans.

The Lehigh Canal, completed in 1829, helped the coal and timber industry to thrive by providing a route to Philadelphia. The economic fortunes of the county continued to rise until 1841, when a flood destroyed most of the hoses and businesses built along the canal. Railroads arrived in the late 1840’s and the county flourished through the mid-20th century, when it fell victim to de-industrialization. Today, farming is still a major industry and farms take up forty-three percent of Lehigh County’s land.