LehighValleyLive.com: Lehigh Valley History, A to Z: Every Site on the National Register of Historic Places

This list of Lehigh and Northampton counties’ historic sites was compiled based on the historic register’s database. They are listed here in alphabetical order, and by last name in the case of some of the historic homes.

Pennsylvania’s records are not all digitized in one place, however. Notes and photos from the register and other sources , including the lehighvalleylive.com archives, are included where available.

Some entries appeared multiple times, like different sections of the Lehigh Canal, but were compressed for this list. Boundaries for historic districts are listed as they appear on the register, and some of these sites may also be known by different names.

Americus Hotel in Allentown. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

A

Allentown Masonic Temple
Location: 1524 W. Linden St., Allentown
Added: 2004
Ground for the Masonic Temple was broken in 1923 — after more than 100 years of moving around — and was said at the time to be the largest private enterprise the city had ever seen, according to the temple’s website.

Allentown National Bank
Location: 13-17 N. Seventh St., Allentown
Added: 2005
This eight-story building, described as “imposing” on the application to the national register, was built in 1905. It was submitted for its architecture.

Americus Hotel
Location: 541 Hamilton St., Allentown
Added: 1984
The “impressive bulk” of the 13-story Americus Hotel was built in the Roaring Twenties, “a manifestation of the expansionist optimism of that post-war decade,” its application says.

Arndt House and Barn
Location: 910 Raubsville Road, Williams Twp.
Added: 2005
This site is said to be typical of other late 18th century to mid-19th century properties in the area. Jacob Arndt inherited this property from his father Abraham in 1795 and lived there until his death in 1831.

The Bethlehem Armory. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

B

Bangor Historic District
Location: Roughly bounded by 3rd, Fairview and Pennsylvania Avenues; Division, N. 4th, N. Main, Erdman, Northhampton and S. 1st streets.
Added: 2014
This district represents the impact of industry on the entire Slate Belt region. When the Bangor Slate Quarry opened in 1866, two villages grew together to form the borough, said to be “the largest and most significant slate community in the Slate Belt.”

Bethlehem Armory
Location: 301 Prospect St., Bethlehem
Added: 1991
This Art Deco-style building was constructed in 1930 for Battery D, 213th Coast Artillery of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Bethlehem Silk Mill
Location: 238 W. Goepp Street, Bethlehem.
Added: 2005
Built in 1886 and expanded at least twice over the next two decades, this factory complex was said to be one of the Lehigh Valley’s largest and most intact silk mills from that time.

Bethlehem Steel Lehigh Plant Mill No. 2 Annex
Location: 11 W. 2nd St., Bethlehem.
Added: 2004

Burnside Plantation in Bethlehem. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Biery’s Port Historic District
Location: Bounded by Pineapple, Front, Race and Mulberry streets in Catasauqua
Added: 1984
Many of the residential and industrial buildings in this area were built by Frederick Biery and still reflect 19th-century usage, when it was a piece of the anthracite iron industry.

Bogert Covered Bridge
Location: Little Lehigh Park, Allentown
Added: 1980
This 145-foot bridge over the Little Lehigh is the oldest bridge in Lehigh County, dating back to 1841.

Bridge in Bangor Borough
Location: Pennsylvania Street over Martins Creek.
Added: 1988
This 45-foot bridge built in 1915 was submitted to the register for its engineering.

Bridge in Heidelberg Township
Location: Over the Jordan Creek in Heidelberg Twp.
Added: 1988
One of three stone bridges in Lehigh County, this one built circa 1887 was submitted for its lasting integrity.

Bridge in Williams Township
Location: Over Frey’s Run
Added: 1988
This bridge used in the 1850s was submitted for its engineering.

Burnside Plantation
Location: Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem
Added: 1990
James and Mary Burnside in 1747 purchased this 500-acre farm, the first privately held property and private home in the Moravian settlement of Bethlehem.

Coplay Cement Co. kilns. (Library of Congress)

C

Catasauqua Residential Historic District
Location: Bounded by Howertown Road, Railroad Avenue, Oak and Bridge streets, Catasauqua
Added: 1984
Iron baron David Thomas and other prominent businessmen called this area home, and the district “continues to reflect the wealth that was once part of Catasauqua.”

Centennial Bridge
Location: Station Avenue over Saucon Creek in Center Valley.
Added: 1988
The second of three Lehigh County stone bridges on this list, this one, built about 1876, was noted for its tall arches and length of 233 feet. It was demolished in 2013.

Central Bethlehem Historic District
Location: Bounded by Main, Nevada and E. Broad streets and the river.
Added: 1972
This district is noted for its Moravian architecture as well as their culture — the Moravians’ communal life focused on crafts and cooperation, as well as religion.

C.F. Martin and Co.
Location: North Street in Nazareth
Added: 2018
This factory made stringed instruments predating the Civil War. It closed in 1964 when the Martin guitar company moved to a new facility outside Nazareth. Ancillary buildings including the Martin homestead are included in the listing.

Chain Bridge
Location: Across the Lehigh River in Easton, southwest of Glendon on Hugh Moore Parkway.
Added: 1974
It was built in 1856 to allow mules and boats to follow the Lehigh Canal across the Lehigh River. Cable for the bridge is believed to have been made on site by the Roebling Co., which also built the Brooklyn Bridge.

Coffeetown Grist Mill
Location: Coffeetown and Kressman roads, 7 miles south of Easton.
Added: 1977
This mill was built in 1762, making it “probably the oldest of its kind in Williams Township and one of a few structures of any kind that can be dated earlier than the Revolution.” It has also been used as a schoolhouse, post office, store, fertilizer factory and private residence.

Cold Spring Bridge
Location: Over Spring Creek in Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1988
This bridge built in 1930 is noted for its 160-foot arch.

College Hill Residential Historic District
Location: Roughly bounded by McCartney, Pierce and Pardee streets, the Forks Township line and the Delaware River.
Added: 1991
Once “the principal residential area for the successful industrial and merchant class,” College Hill is also “the most extensive single collection of varying mid to late Victorian residential architecture within … the Lehigh Valley region,” per its application.

Coopersburg Historic District
Location: Main Street and Route 309, Coopersburg
Added: 1982
Coopersburg was one of the first villages to be settled in the area — the “only sizable town in Lehigh County south of Lehigh Mountain” — and became a cooperative center among Mennonites, Moravians, Lutherans and Reformed people.

Coplay Cement Co. Kilns
Location: N. 2nd. St., Coplay
Added: 1980
These kilns, most of which are about 60 feet tall, were made of locally-produced bricks and used from 1893 to 1904.

County Bridge No. 36
Location: Route 611 over Jacoby Creek in Portland.
Added: 1988
Built in 1907, this bridge was submitted as an example of an early 20th century concrete arch bridge.

Dime Savings and Trust Co. in Allentown. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

D

Dent Hardware Co. Factory Complex
Location: 1101 Third St., Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1986
This collection of industrial buildings from the early 20th century, when Dent Hardware was “the nation’s leading producer of brass refrigerator hardware and a major manufacturer of cast iron toys.”

Dillingersville Union School and Church
Location: Zionsville Road, Lower Milford Twp.
Added: 1979
Lutheran settlers built the dual church and school in 1734, and it continued to be used for education for more than 200 years.

Dime Savings and Trust Co.
Location: 12 N. 7th St., Allentown
Added: 1985
It’s application to the historic register bills this bank building as “the best preserved and most original Art Deco structure in Allentown.” It has since been incorporated into the PPL Center.

Dorneyville Crossroad Settlement
Location: Routes 222 and 29, Allentown
Added: 1977
This site originally consisted of a stone tavern and house from the 18th century and two 19th century stone houses at the crossing of King’s Highway — once a major path for Native Americans — and what is now Route 222, which was built in 1752 to connect Easton and Reading.

Easton Cemetery. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

E

Easton Cemetery
Location: 401 N. Seventh St., Easton.
Added: 1990
This cemetery opened in 1849 and still has grave sites available. George Taylor, who signed the Declaration of Independence (and whose home is also on this list) is buried here.

Easton Historic District
Location: Roughly bounded by Riverside and Bushkill drives, Ferry and 7th streets.
Added: 1983
A center of commerce since 1752, Easton’s historic district is an example of a Victorian commercial center.

Easton House (aka the Bachmann Publick House)
Location: 167-169 Northampton St., Easton.
Added: 1980
This tavern was once owned by George Taylor — who signed the Declaration of Independence and is connected to a few other sites on this list — but was also noted for its architecture and history as one of the earliest sites of the county court.

The Easton House. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Jacob Ehrenhardt Jr. House
Location: 55 S. Keystone Ave., Emmaus
Added: 2003
This house built in 1803 is one of the best-preserved from that time, and shows a transition in architecture from the traditional European settlers to something more contemporary.

Ehrhart’s Mill Historic District
Location: Old Mill Road, Hellertown.
Added: 1987
Located along the Saucon Creek, this community was built around a grist mill in the 19th century.

Elmwood Park Historic District
Location: Roughly bounded by Goepp Circle, Woodruff Street, Park Place and Carson Street in Bethlehem.
Added: 1988

Fireman’s Drinking Fountain. (Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com)

F

Fireman’s Drinking Fountain
Location: Main St., Slatington
Added: 1981
This 12-foot public drinking fountain is topped with a 7-foot 3-inch statue of a fire fighter holding a child and lantern.

Fountain Hill Historic District
Location: Bounded by Brighton, Wyandotte, W. Fourth and Seminole streets and Delaware Ave., Fountain Hill
Added: 1988
In the latter 19th century, Fountain Hill was home to many upper- and middle-class officers of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Bethlehem Iron Co., which later became Bethlehem Steel.

Frantz’s Bridge
Location: Over the Jordan Creek in Lowhill Twp.
Added: 1988
The original stone arch bridge built in 1887 was eventually demolished and replaced with a concrete bridge.

The Gemeinhaus in Bethlehem. (Courtesy photo)

G

Gauff-Roth House
Location: 427-433 Auburn St., Allentown
Added: 1985
Built in 1880, this grand home “is a good example of a Queen Anne style house,” one of few in Allentown.

Geiger Covered Bridge
Location: Over the Jordan Creek in North Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1980

Gemeinhaus/Lewis David De Schweinitz Residence
Location: W. Church Street, Bethlehem.
Added: 1975
This two-and-a-half-story log building is the oldest structure still standing in Bethlehem and has been owned by the Moravian Church since its construction in 1733.

Gristmiller’s House
Location: 459 Old York Road, Bethlehem.
Added: 1973
Found in Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter, this building shows the thinking of its planners. Where earlier grist millers and their families may have lived in the mill itself, this house was built so the mill could be better used for grain storage.

Haines Mill in Allentown. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

H

Haines Mill
Location: 3600 Haines Mill Road, Allentown
Added: 1981
The Haines Mill was built before the Civil War, and continued as a family business well into the 20th century.

Helfrich’s Springs Grist Mill
Location: 506 Mickley Road, Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1977
This mill on the Jordan Creek was built in 1753 and may have also been used for religious services.

Heller (Michael and Margaret) House
Location: 1890-1892 Friedensville Road, Lower Saucon Twp.
Added: 2010
This house was added to the register for its architecture, both from its initial construction circa 1751 and its renovation in 1935.

High German Evangelical Reformed Church in Allentown. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Heller (William Jacob) House
Location: 501 Mixsell St., Easton
Added: 1982
William Jacob Heller, an Easton businessman in the 1800 and 1900s, designed and lived in this home atop what used to be a Native American lookout point on the Delaware River.

High German Evangelical Reformed Church
Location: 620 Hamilton St., Allentown
Added: 1983
Also known as the Zion Reformed Church or Zion United Church of Christ, this church is “a fine example of the late Victorian Gothic Revival architectural style” and reflected a time of expansion in Allentown, its application to the national register says.

Hotel Sterling
Location: 343-345 Hamilton St., Allentown
Added: 1984
The application for this 1889 structure describes its “eclectic design, elaborate detailing and high degree of integrity.”

Illick’s Mill in Bethlehem circa 1960. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

I

Illick’s Mill
Location: 130 Illick’s Mill Road, Bethlehem
Added: 2005
The flour and feed mill was built in 1856, but closed in 1902. The park around it was made in 1935, and Liberty High School students twice restored the mill — in 1965 and again between 2001 to 2011.

J

Jacobsburg Historic District
Location: 3 miles northeast of Nazareth, off Route 115.
Added: 1977

Kreiderville Covered Bridge. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

K

Kemmerer House
Location: 3 Iroquois St., Emmaus
Added: 1977
A typical 19th century farmstead.

Heinrich Knauss House
Location: 152 E. Main St., Emmaus
Added: 2008
Seven generations of the Knauss family were born in this 1777 home.

Kreiderville Covered Bridge
Location: Kreidersville, north of Northampton.
Added: 1980
Built in 1839, this is the last covered bridge in Northampton County. In 1959, a group of residents saved it from being demolished and replaced.

The Lehigh Canal in Glendon. (Library of Congress)

L

Frederick and Catherine Leaser Farm
Location: 7654 Leaser Road, Lynn Twp.
Added: 2004
This farm at the foot of Blue Mountain includes a log cabin built in the 1750s and other buildings constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Lehigh Canal
Location: Multiple entries for sections from Lehigh Gap to the Delaware River
Added: 1978-1980
The canal’s construction began in 1819. When completed, it allowed anthracite coal to be shipped down the river from Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), shaping the history of communities along the way.

Lehigh Valley Railroad Headquarters Building
Location: 425 Brighton St., Bethlehem
Added: 1984
Before this was built (in two stages between 1885 and 1890), railroad executives worked out of their homes.

Lehigh Valley Silk Mills
Location: Seneca and Clewell streets, Fountain Hill
Added: 1993

Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse in Lower Saucon Township. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Linden Grove Pavilion
Location: Linden and Main streets, Coopersburg
Added: 1979
This pavilion was built around 1900 and used for cattle auctions by TS Cooper, who was internationally known for his livestock. Once a year, buyers from around the world would head to his Coopersburg farm for the auction.

Lock Ridge Furnace Complex
Location: Franklin and Church streets, Alburtis
Added: 1981
Now a 59-acre park and museum, this site operated as a furnace from 1868 to 1921, once a piece of the area’s early iron production history.

Lutz-Franklin School
Location: 4216 Countryside Lane, Lower Saucon Twp.
Added: 2008
This is the only intact 19th-century schoolhouse in Lower Saucon.

Martin Tower, under construction in Bethlehem. (Courtesy of HRP Management Inc.)

M

Manasses Guth Covered Bridge
Location: South Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1980

Martin Tower
Location: 1170 8th Ave., Bethlehem
Added: 2010
Built in 1969, the 21-story 332-foot-tall former headquarters of Bethlehem Steel is the tallest building in the Lehigh Valley.

McCollum and Post Silk Mill
Location: 368 Madison Ave., Nazareth
Added: 2005
This mill, which operated from 1913 to 1936, embodies the transition of the silk industry as it faced growing competition and was eventually overpowered by synthetic fabrics.

Albertus L. Meyers Bridge
Location: Eighth Street over Little Lehigh and Railroad streets in Allentown.
Added: 1988
Also known as the 8th Street Bridge, this span was said to be the largest concrete bridge in the world when it was completed in 1913. It is named after a former Allentown band director, who played in the band at the bridge’s opening.

Jacob Mixsell House
Location: 101 S. 4th St., Easton
Added: 1980
The home of Jacob Mixsell, a prominent Easton builder in the early 1800s, is remarkable not just for its architectural style but also because it was constructed by Mixsell himself. Also interesting: The husband of one of Mixell’s daughters, Col. Charles Augustus Wikoff, was the highest ranking American soldier killed in the Spanish-American War, and his funeral was held in the home.

Moravian Sun Inn
Location: 564 Main St., Bethlehem
Added: 1973
In the late 1700s and 1800s, this was a hotel that at one time or another housed a number of patriots and dignitaries, including George Washington, John Adams, the Marquis de Lafayette and John Hancock. It is now a museum and restaurant.

Mount Airy Historic District
Location: Roughly Prospect Avenue between 15th and 8th avenues in Bethlehem.
Added: 1988
This area features a number of large, ornate houses built between 1895 and 1930, many of them owned by Bethlehem Steel executives during the company’s heyday.

Neuweiler Brewery in Allentown. (Library of Congress)

N

Nazareth Hall Tract
Location: Zizendorf Square, Nazareth
Added: 1980
This 16-acre tract was meant to be the manor house in the 5,000-acre Barony of Nazareth — and as a possible alternative site for the Moravian Church’s world headquarters.

Nazareth Historic District
Location: Around Center and Main streets, Nazareth
Added: 1988
The center of Nazareth features a collection of Moravian architecture dating back to the mid-18th century, being one of three planned Moravian communities in the state.

Neuweiler Brewery
Location: 401 N. Front St., Allentown
Added: 1980
From the national registry application: “The Neuweiler Brewery … was a big time brewery brewing on a local scale. The elegance of the physical plant reflects the personality of its founder, Louis F. Neuweiler, who was a perfectionist that insisted on the best.”

Jacob Nicholas House
Location: 458 Ferry St., Easton
Added: 1976
Built in 1807, this was always a working-class family’s home. Jacob Nicholas was a wood turner and captained a Durham boat, a flat-bottomed craft that carried cargo on the rivers.

O

Old Lehigh County Courthouse
Location: 5th and Hamilton streets, Allentown
Added: 1981
Built between 1814 and 1819, this is one of the oldest buildings in Allentown.

Old Waterworks
Location: North of the Hill-to-Hill bridge and west of Main Street, in Bethlehem.
Added: 1972
Built in 1762, this was the first municipal pumping system to provide drinking and washing water in the American colonies. The pump house is original, though the machinery is reconstructed.

Packer Memorial Chapel at Lehigh University in 1944. (Library of Congress)

P

Packer Memorial Chapel
Location: Packer Avenue, Lehigh University, Bethlehem
Added: 1979
The church was built in 1885 as a gift to Lehigh University, when it was still and Episcopalian institution.

Parsons-Taylor House
Location: 4th and Ferry streets, Easton
Added: 1980
This house was once home to William Parsons, a friend of Benjamin Franklin and a key player in establishing Northampton County and Easton as its center of government. George Taylor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence who is mentioned a few times in this list, leased the home late in life and died there in 1781.

Pembroke Village Historic District
Location: Bounded by Radclyffe Street, Carlisle Street, Stefko Boulevard, Arcadia Street and Minsi Trail, in Bethlehem
Added: 1988

Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

R

Real Estate Building
Location: 2-8 N. Main St., Bangor
Added: 1986
The size of this prominent brick building is notable. It was the tallest in Bangor, constructed in the early 1900s when the slate industry was booming.

Rex Covered Bridge
Location: North Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1980
Crossing the Jordan Creek, this 150-foot bridge built in 1858 was described as the oldest remaining covered bridge Lehigh County.

Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm
Location: 2056 Minesite Road, Lower Macungie Twp.
Added: 1999
This 39-acre complex was a farmstead from about 1830 that was bought in 1940 by J.I. Rodale and his wife to experiment and write about organic food cultivation.

The Seipsville Hotel. (Courtesy photo)

S

Schlicher Covered Bridge
Location: North Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1980
Built in 1882 over the Jordan Creek, this is the most recent of Lehigh County’s covered bridges.

George F. Schlicher Hotel
Location: 105-107 S. Main St., Alburtis
Added: 1992
This 1877 hotel and general store, about 80 feet from a significant railroad depot, formed the pre-20th century nucleus of commerce in Alburtis.

Seipsville Hotel
Location: 2912 Old Nazareth Road, Easton
Added: 1977
This was a popular stop for weary travelers between Easton and Nazareth in the late 1700s.

Shelter House
Location: S. 4th St., Emmaus
Added: 1978
Built in 1734, this is said to be the oldest standing log building in Lehigh County.

Herman Simon House
Location: 41 N. 3rd St., Easton
Added: 1980
From its application to the historic register: “The YWCA building was formerly the residence of Herman Simon, a German immigrant whose textile mills … were ranked among the model industrial establishments of the world.”

The State Theatre in Easton. (Courtesy of the Easton Public Library)

Slatington Historic District
Location: Bounded by Ridge Alley; Chestnut, Railroad and Kern streets; Hill Alley; 5th Street and Dowell Street in Slatington.
Added: 2004
Like other historic districts on this list, Slatington’s is associated with the rise of the slate industry and typifies the architecture of the time.

South Bethlehem Downtown Historic District
Location: Bounded by Wyandotte, Columbia, Hayes and Morton streets in Bethlehem.
Added: 2006
This concentration of commercial, municipal and industrial buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been the heart of South Bethlehem since the late 1800s.

State Theatre
Location: 453 Northampton St., Easton
Added: 1982
Designed in 1925, local Italian artisans helped create the State’s elaborate frescoes and gilding.

Daniel Steckel House
Location: 207 W. Northampton St., Bath
Added: 1982
One of the oldest structures in Bath, this 1803 home belonged to Daniel Steckel and his family, who helped the community flourish. Steckel lived to be 101 and the community through a public party for his 100th birthday.

Isaac Stout House
Location: 50 Durham Road, Williams Twp.
Added: 2004
This 1772 stone house is an example of the stone and masonry used in the area.

The Tannery in Bethlehem. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

T

The Tannery
Location: In Bethlehem’s historic subdistrict near the Monocracy Creek
Added: 1972
This operation in this limestone building was able to process more than 4,500 hides during its peak production from 1776 to 1784.

George Taylor House
Location: Front Street, Catasauqua
Added: 1971
Built in 1768, this was the home of George Taylor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Taylor was born in Ireland, came to Pennsylvania as an indentured servant and eventually became a plantation manager. He was also involved in the production of cannons and munitions during the Revolutionary War.

Trout Hall
Location: 414 Walnut St., Allentown
Added: 1978
This 1770 city dwelling built by English settlers is unique among the old homes in the Lehigh Valley, most of which are farmhouses built by Germans.

Troxell-Steckel House
Location: 4229 Reliance St., Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1980
A stone farmhouse from 1756 is the centerpiece of what was once a 400-acre farm, which now has a museum.

V

Vigilant Fire Co. Firemen’s Monument
Location: Union Cemetery on Route 873 in Washington Twp.
Added: 2004
This 16-foot-tall granite monument in Union Cemetery was carved in 1909. As of its application, it was one of five known such surviving statues from that time in the country.

Valentine Weaver House
Location: 146 S. Church St., Macungie
Added: 1984
Valentine Weaver was a major figure in the development of Pennsylvania’s iron industry, including the Macungie Iron Works and Lock Ridge Iron Co.

Weona Park Carousel in 2006. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

W

Wehr Covered Bridge
Location: South Whitehall Twp.
Added: 1980

Weona Park Carousel
Location: Route 512 in Pen Argyl
Added: 1999
Installed in 1923, the carousel features 44 hand-carved animals.

Whitefield House and Gray Cottage
Location: 214 E. Center St., Nazareth
Added: 1980
From its national register application: “The Whitfield House and Gray Cottage … mark the sport where the Moravians in 1740 first struck permanent roots in America after the failure of their mission among Europeans and Indians in the Savannah area of Georgia, 1735-1740.”

Z

Zeta Psi Fraternity House
Location: 49 S. College Drive, Easton
Added: 2001
Built in 1909 and ’10, the Lafayette College fraternity house is a good example of period revival architecture that was chosen “more often than not, by people of means in America’s growing cities and suburban communities during the first decade of the 20th century for their dwellings, churches and clubs, examples of which fill Easton’s then-developing fashionable neighborhoods.”

Zollinger-Harned Co. Building
Location: 605-613 Hamilton Mall and 14016 N. 6th St., Allentown
Added: 1979
This department store from the 1920s is “perhaps the most elegant statement and best preserved example of an eclectic retail structure of the early twentieth century remaining in the area.”