From June 1991 to July 1992, an exhibit of 350 photographs was displayed in the windows of Bethlehem Area Public Library as part of the City of Bethlehem's 250th Anniversary celebration. Community members submitted over 600 photos to be included in the display. The original plan was to display the photos for a few months, but the exhibit was so popular with the community, it remained in place for over a year.

In the summer of 1990, a committee dedicated to organizing a photo exhibition in honor of the city's 250th anniversary put a call out to the community. They were looking for photographs that depicted the everyday lives of Bethlehem's residents. Donated photos were collected at the circulation desk of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. Those selected for the display were duplicated and the original copies returned to the donors.

The photos were enclosed in plexiglass and placed in the library's windows facing outward. This meant that visitors could enjoy the exhibit (called A Bethlehem Family Photo Album) outside of the library's hours. The images, spanning over a hundred years, were organized into categories representing different facets of Bethlehem life - culture and recreation, education, family, neighborhoods, social and civic life, work, and worship. These categories are also represented in this digital collection and each category can be browsed through the links above.

Eventually, a selection of the photos was included in a book published by Arcadia Publishing as part of their Images of America series. The book, "Bethlehem," includes in-depth descriptions of the selected photos written and edited by Kathleen Stewart and Bethlehem Area Public Library staff members. Copies of the book are available at the library to check out or to view in-house in the Bethlehem Room.

The duplicated photographs used in the original exhibit are also available to view in-house in the Bethlehem Room.

Please contact info@bapl.org with any questions.