On Dec. 3, Historic Catasauqua Preservation Association and the churches of Catasauqua and North Catasauqua, led by Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, held a stained-glass tour.
The tour included five churches, the Dery Mansion and two private residences.
The windows and skylights of these structures are part of the area’s historical architecture. These treasures date back to a time when Catasauqua Borough was a wealthy town and the center of the iron industry in the Lehigh Valley.
A blue flag marked each property on the tour. A purchased ticket provided a history of each property. Guides were available at each location.
Properties on the tour included St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 122 Union St., Catasauqua; Salem United Church of Christ, 615 Third St., Catasauqua; Brubaker Funeral Home and residence, 234 Walnut St. Catasauqua; St. John Fisher Roman Catholic Church, 1239 Third St., North Catasauqua; Lathrop home, 616 Second St., Catasauqua; Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua, 210 Pine St.; Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, 604 Fourth St., Catasauqua; and the Dery Mansion, 520 Fourth St., Catasauqua.
The Dery Mansion also featured a hot glass display by Banana Factory artists.
Stained-glass windows in the large cathedral ceiling of St. John Fisher Roman Catholic Church, 1239 Third St., North Catasauqua, highlight the church's towering intricate altar. The window to the right depicts St. Andrew, for whom the church was named prior to its merger with St. Lawrence Church to become St. John Fisher in 2014. This is just one of the beautiful views during a stained-glass tour Dec. 3 in Catasauqua and North Catasauqua boroughs.
PRESS PHOTOS BY DONNA GEWERTZ Paula Griffin (left) and Judy Morgan, tour guides for the event, provide information for participants at Salem United Church of Christ, 615 Third St., Catasauqua.
A large stained-glass window of Gothic design on the Pine Street side of Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, 604 Fourth St., Catasauqua, depicts the transfiguration of Jesus. The windows were original to the congregation's first church, which is now the Public Library of Catasauqua, and is a combination of three smaller windows. The images are believed to be the work of the famed artist L.C. Tiffany.
PRESS PHOTOS BY DONNA GEWERTZ Kim and Andrew Brubaker greet guests taking the tour of their home, which also serves as the family business, Brubaker Funeral Home, 234 Walnut St., Catasauqua. The home, built in approximately 1873, once served as the home of Leonard Peckitt, president of Crane Iron Company, and features numerous leaded stained-glass windows.
An interesting stained-glass piece for a private residence, “The Jester” provides lighting in the entrance hallway of the home of Cliff and Janice Lathrop, 616 Second St., Catasauqua. They have been preserving their home, which was constructed in 1875, since 1977.
David Hohe, a member of Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua, 210 Pine St., researched and wrote a history of the church's 16 stained-glass windows during the COVID-19 pandemic. This stained-glass window is a memorial in the church and is dedicated to Joan Dery, the daughter of silk magnate D.G. Dery. It was not uncommon for rich industrialists of the period to dedicate stained-glass windows in memory of loved ones inside churches.
A large stained-glass window above the main entrance greets worshippers to Salem United Church of Christ, 615 Third St., Catasauqua. Inside the church, built in 1869, the window serves as a backdrop for the choir loft.
