Lower Saucon Township near Hellertown in Northampton County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Michael & Margaret Heller House
1751
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 28, 2024
1. Michael & Margaret Heller House Marker
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Colonial Era. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1751.
Location. 40° 34.722′ N, 75° 20.762′ W. Marker is near Hellertown, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. It is in Lower Saucon Township. It can be reached from the intersection of Friedensville Road and Creek Road, on the left when traveling west. Marker is in Heller Homestead Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1892 Friedensville Rd, Bethlehem PA 18015, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Lehigh Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to the Hellertown Station (approx. 0.3 miles away); Laubach Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); Dr. Henry Detwiller Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); Detwiller Plaza (approx. 0.3 miles away); World War Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Reverend Samuel Hess House (approx. 0.4 miles away); 173 Main Street (approx. 0.4 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hellertown.
Regarding Michael & Margaret Heller House. Excerpts from
this page online
The property was originally settled in the mid-18th century. It was included in a parcel of 150 acres warranted to Nicholas Walber on December 1, 1737. Walber also received a warrant for a nearby tract of 100 acres. Within a decade, Walber defaulted on his quit rent and sold the property.
Michael Heller (1724-1803), an important early settler of Northampton County, purchased the rights of Walber on September 28, 1747. Since there were other men of the name Michael Heller living at the same time in the vicinity, each took a nickname. This man was called "Alt Vater Mike," or Mike the Elder. He emigrated with his parents from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1738. Heller obtained a survey order for Walber's 250 acres on July 31, 1751, and a new survey was recorded on the same date. It is assumed that Heller constructed the core of the farmhouse just after purchasing Walber's rights to the property
Michael Heller (Alt Vater Mike) played a major role in the settlement of the area. Although his father Christopher Heller is usually cited as the founder of Hellertown, historic sources point to Michael Heller as the founder.
Also see . . . Michael and Margaret Heller House (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which was listed in 2010. (Prepared
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 28, 2024
2. Michael & Margaret Heller House Marker
Marker is by the far left, first-floor window.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 28, 2024
3. The Widow's House
It was built in 1850 by Baltzar Stever, a later owner of the property, as a tenant house. It was renamed the Widow's House in the 1990s in honor of Stever's sister-in-law Anna Stever, who lived there in the 1850s. It is also on the National Register.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 432 times since then and 243 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 15, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
