{"nrhp_refnum":"05000065","name":"Bethlehem Silk Mill","other_names":["Bethlehem Silk Company"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"238 W. Goepp St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bethlehem","county":"Northampton County","state":"PA","lat":40.627172631000064,"lon":-75.38424889099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-02-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A factory complex of seven interconnected brick buildings at the corner of West Goepp Street and Mauch Chunk Road in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was built from 1886 and expanded around 1896 and 1901 as a silk throwing and weaving mill.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mill was one of the largest and earliest silk mills in the Lehigh Valley during the early twentieth century, tied to the region's silk industry. It also argues the complex is a surviving example of late nineteenth and early twentieth century industrial architecture that adapted to changing market demands.","narrative":"Built beginning in 1886 on West Goepp Street in Bethlehem, the Bethlehem Silk Mill is a complex of seven interconnected brick buildings around two courtyards. John C. Schropp began it as a commission silk throwing mill of two buildings, and the Bethlehem Silk Company expanded it in about 1896 and again around 1901 into a full throwing and weaving facility. Its Late Victorian character comes from corbelled brick along the cornices, nine-over-nine wood windows, and a corner office block with decorative parapets and corner posts. The mill is regarded as one of the largest and most intact late nineteenth century silk mills in the Lehigh Valley. In 1905 it ran 49,500 spindles and employed 350 people, mostly women and children. The company was dissolved under bankruptcy and the property sold in 1953, which ends the period of significance. Parts of the complex were in vacancy for years, and the buildings show deferred maintenance.","period_of_significance":"1886-1953","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The document describes the buildings as in fair condition, largely affected by deferred maintenance from years of vacancy.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:10:27.457821-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/05000065.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000065/30c14fa593-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000065/30c14fa593-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bethlehem_Silk_Mill_Oct_11.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bethlehem_Silk_Mill_Oct_11.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"79002307","name":"Lehigh Canal; Allentown to Hopeville Section","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/lehigh-canal-allentown-to-hopeville-section-79002307/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994670","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem_Silk_Mill","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4898065"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/northampton-county/bethlehem-silk-mill-05000065/"}