Lehigh Township Historical Society, organized in 2001, held its annual mum/chicken dinner sale Sept. 12 on a gorgeous, late summer Saturday. Pots of mums lined the stone porch of the old trading post at Indian Trail Park off Route 248 in the township, and though still tightly budded, the healthy-looking plants spoke of beauty yet to come. In addition, chicken or pork dinners were available to pick up.

They also had the main building, home to the historical society, open. Here, society President Sarah Pagotto and board member Gloria Atherholt were on hand to offer information and informal tours of some of the records and objects that have been brought into the society over the years.

The past is very present in this building. They have an impressive array of genealogies, tax records, various church records and obituaries along with many found objects, including machinery, knitting mills, baby cradles, spinning wheels and an old phonograph, some dating back to well before World War I - and that’s only the main building. They also have two buildings in the back filled with memorabilia.

When asked what they’re working on now, Pagotto laughed and said, “Nothing!”

“We were preparing for our basket social in the spring, but it didn’t happen because of the pandemic,” Atherholt said. “We haven’t been in here on a regular basis since March.”

“What we were working on in March we have put away, and I say that because there’s nobody to do it,” said Pagotto, modestly not counting herself.

However, “She’s here pretty much 24/7,” Atherholt added.

“Stuff keeps coming in, like when I opened this morning and there were three things on the table I’ve never seen before! I’m the archivist as well as the president,” Pagotto said.

They are running out of room for things, the problem being that they don’t get rid of anything and rarely refuse anything that has the proper paperwork attached. Although much of what they archive is Lehigh Township related, some comes in from original residents who have traveled the world or claimed fame outside of the township.

For example, the works of Elaine H. Newhart, who was a well-known photographer who traveled to Asia and beyond, and Betty Seidel, who created a commemorative plate for Dwight Eisenhower’s birthday, can be found at the society.

“Wherever our people went, if they kept it, it meant something to them,” Pagotto said.

Seidel’s property, a stone building from 1760, was the last to be torn down at the Cherryville intersection, which was once the center of town. The historical society was allowed 30 days to remove any relics from the building.

“They are now in our garage,” said Atherholt, whose husband was instrumental in removing many of the items.

This certainly plays up the lack of space.

The society depends on donations, dues, grants and fundraisers to stay afloat.

“We have enough money now, over the years, that we can put things into the archive (permanently), so people can actually use them,” Pagotto said.

According to Secretary Ruth Hall Kent, they are in the process of digitizing their records, though computerizing 15 years of accumulated historical records will be a daunting task.

She said they are looking for volunteers who are computer literate in Word and Excel and can be trained on their program to help out. They also want to photograph the objects and have them put into the database as well.

It’s difficult to say how many volunteers they have right now, but Pagotto said many of them, in a regular year (minus COVID-19) put in up to 2,000 hours of service. That kind of dedication is hard to find. If you are interested, you can check out the society’s website, lehightownshiphistoricalsociety.org, or find the group on Facebook.

Until the pandemic clears or a vaccine is available, chances are you will have to schedule an appointment to get into the trading post or St. Paul’s Schoolhouse, but don’t miss the opportunity to educate yourself and your family about a simpler time gone by.