Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania

The region which would become Fountain Hill was home to Lenape Indians prior to its acquisition by William Penn for his sons, Thomas, John and Richard in 1681. The Penns would hire a pioneer, Nicholas Doll, to settle the land, building the first structure there in 1739. The deed for the land was passed to several farming families before being sold to the Moravians in the recently established Bethlehem in 1743.{{cite web |title=About Fountain Hill |url=https://www.fountainhill.org/about-fountain-hill/ |website=fountainhill.org |access-date=19 February 2024}}

The Moravians would directly own the area which would become Fountain Hill for 32 years, and for 100 years after the purchase the area consisted of non-Moarvian tenant farmer, the largest of which was a 147-acre farm owned by the Hoffert family. The farm house was built in 1755 by Cornelius Weygandt and remains the oldest standing structure in the borough.

In 1846 the Moravians sold 2-acres of the property to Dr. Francis Henry Oppelt who opened a hotel and mineral spa on the site. Oppelt was a staunch believer in balneotherapy, and believed the mineral waters could cure diseases and other ailments. Oppelt's facility would remain open for 25 years from 1846 until 1871.

Oppelt eventually went bankrupt with his resort being sold in a Sheriff Sale to one Tinsley Jeter, who in turn sold it to Asa Packer, founder of Lehigh University in nearby Bethlehem, in 1876. Packer promptly gifted the land to St. Luke's Hospital who moved their hospital from South Bethlehem to the now vacant resort.

In 1848 the Hoffert farm was sold to real estate developers who turned it into a massive mansion named the "Fontainebleau Estate" which would trade ownership several times before 1866 when the estate would also be purchased by Tinsley Jeter who laid a town plot on the property. Jeter at the time was purchasing most of the farms in the region, as well as the mansions built for Lehigh Valley Railroad executives, many of which are preserved in the Fountain Hill Historic District.

In 1866 Jeter was choosing a name for the property and settled on "Fountain Hill", due to the earlier Fontainebleau estate, which stood on a small hill. In 1886 the growing town became the home to several Silk Mills with the birth of the Industrial Revolution.

With the advent of local industry, the regions population surged, however, there was still no incorporated government, with the region operating as a village within Salisbury Township. After a successful petition to the Lehigh County government, Fountain Hill became an incorporated municipality on November 13, 1893.

In 1905 the residents of Fountain Hill rejected a proposal to join the municipality of South Bethlehem (annexed by Bethlehem in 1917) to form an Independent city.{{cite web |title=Fountain Hill |url=https://www.bapl.org/local-history/local-history-timeline/fountainhillhistory/ |website=bapl.org |access-date=19 February 2024}} In 1919 Fountain Hill annexed some portions of neighboring Salisbury township, and around this time, Fountain Hills most famous resident, Stephen Vincent Benét, began his literary career, publishing his famed poem John Brown's Body in 1929. Through the 1940s Fountain Hill would remain a cultural retreat for Bethlehemites, hosting many operas, playhouses, and theaters. In 1949 Fountain Hill annexed another parcel from Salisbury township, bringing the borough to its present borders.{{cite web |title=Fountain Hill’s Rich History |url=https://www.bapl.org/fountain-hill-history/ |website=bapl.org |access-date=19 February 2024}}

Fountain Hill is located at {{Coord|40|36|6|N|75|23|47|W|type:city}} (40.601698, -75.396357).{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}} According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of {{convert|0.7|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|0.7|sqmi|km2}} is land and 1.41% is water. Fountain Hill is approximately {{convert|450|acre|km2}}, predominantly residential in character, with approximately 1,754 dwelling units. It uses the Bethlehem ZIP code of 18015.{{cite web |url=http://www.hipcodes.com/18015/ |title=18015 ZIPCode Map Bethlehem Pennsylvania - HipCodes.com |website=www.hipcodes.com |access-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324210531/http://www.hipcodes.com/18015/ |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}

{{stack|File:2022-09-26 11 47 29 View southwest along Broadway between Hoffert Street and Bergen Street in Fountain Hill, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.jpg

File:Railroad Bridge over Lehigh River, Fountain Hill, PA.JPG, connecting Fountain Hill with Bethlehem, in June 2013]]}}

As of 2010, there were {{convert|13.60|mi}} of public roads in Fountain Hill, of which {{convert|0.88|mi}} were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and {{convert|12.72|mi}} were maintained by the borough.{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/39406.pdf|title=Fountain Hill Borough map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 17, 2023}}

No numbered highways pass through Fountain Hill. The main thoroughfare through the borough is Broadway, which follows a northeast–southwest alignment through the middle of town. Pennsylvania Route 378 and Pennsylvania Route 412 are the closest numbered highways, both of which pass just to the east of Fountain Hill.

{{Further|Bethlehem Area School District}}

Fountain Hill is served by the Bethlehem Area School District. Fountain Hill Elementary School for kindergarten through grade five is located in Fountain Hill.

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,597 people living in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 81.4% White, 6.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 7.7% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.5% of the population.

{{stack|{{US Census population

|align=right

|1900= 1214

|1910= 1388

|1920= 2339

|1930= 4568

|1940= 4804

|1950= 5456

|1960= 5428

|1970= 5384

|1980= 4805

|1990= 4637

|2000= 4614

|2010= 4597

|2020= 4832

|estyear=2024

|estimate=4690

|estref={{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/fountain-hill-pa-population|title=Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania Population 2024 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) }}

|footnote=Sources:{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=Oct 12, 2022}}

}}}}

{{PresHead|place=Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania|whig=no|source1={{cite web|url=https://home.lehighcounty.org/tallyho/ElectionsHub.aspx|title=ELECTION RESULTS|website=lehighcounty.org|access-date=October 22, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.livevoterturnout.com/ENR/lehighpaenr/8/en/Index_8.html|title=November 2024 General Election|date=November 26, 2024|website=livevoterturnout.com|access-date=November 27, 2024}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|825|1,392|28|Pennsylvania}}

{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|720|1,492|40|Pennsylvania}}

{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|647|1,227|110|Pennsylvania}}

{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|557|1,200|34|Pennsylvania}}

{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|571|1,359|33|Pennsylvania}}

{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|650|1,268|9|Pennsylvania}}

|}

{{Main|List of people from the Lehigh Valley}}

• Stephen Vincent Benét, former author
• Joseph F. Brennan, former Pennsylvania State Representative
• Edwin Drake, "Father of the Oil industry", first American to drill for crude oil
• Justin D. Jirolanio, former Pennsylvania State Representative and State Senator
• T. J. Rooney, former Pennsylvania State Representative
• Alejandra Feliz, singer, member of the Carlos & Alejandra

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.fountainhill.org/ Official website]

{{Geographic Location (8-way)

|Centre = Fountain Hill

|North = Bethlehem

|Northeast = Bethlehem

|East = Bethlehem

|Southeast = Lower Saucon Township

|South = Center Valley

|Southwest = Summit Lawn ; Salisbury Township

|West = Allentown ; Salisbury Township

|Northwest =

|image =

}}

{{Lehigh County, Pennsylvania}}

{{Lehigh Valley}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1893 establishments in Pennsylvania

Category:Boroughs in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Category:Boroughs in Pennsylvania

Category:Populated places established in 1893