“A city government is something more than a mere business proposition. We are concerned, as administrators, with the task of securing internal peace, virtue and good order; safety of lives, property and reputation; health and longevity; education, comfort, convenience and happiness for the inhabitants of our communities and relief of the poor. This applies to all alike, naturalized citizens, as well as those who have enjoyed the blessings and comforts of our civil and religious liberty, who have not become citizens or cast their lot entirely with us.”
This passage is taken from the opening lines of the first Mayor of Bethlehem, PA, Archibald Johnston’s - first annual message in 1918.
Johnston was born in 1865 in Phoenixville, Pa., but he and his nine siblings largely grew up in Bethlehem, where he graduated high school at age 15.
In 1889 he graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in mechanical engineering and took employment with Bethlehem Steel's physical-testing department the same year. Later he was assigned to the department of erection and operation of the gun-forging plant, the first to be established in America. He served as superintendent of the armor plate department, and later became assistant general superintendent.
On Feb. 11, 1891, he married Estelle Sophia Stadiger Borhek of Bethlehem. They would have one son and one daughter.
In October of 1908, Archibald Johnston was named vice president of the Bethlehem Steel Company.
Nine years later, Archibald spearheaded the effort to consolidate the boroughs of Bethlehem and South Bethlehem in 1917. When residents urged him to be the new city's first mayor, he declined.
It took a petition signed by more than 5,000 residents to convince him, and he served from 1918 to 1921.
During his term as a mayor he was prominent in civic campaigns, one of which led to the construction of the hill-to-hill bridge. He was instrumental in the planning, construction and financing of the $3,000,000 it took to build the bridge.
In 1919, Johnston began acquisition of hundreds of acres of land along the Monocacy Creek near “Quaker Hill.” He renamed the hill “Camel’s Hump” after its distinctive shape and hired Curtis Lovelace, a young architect, to build a 6,000 square foot, 22 room, three-story Georgian Revival style home in its shadow.
Johnston retired from Steel in 1927 and spent much of his time afterward caring for his property and 110 acres along Route 191 between Christian Springs and Santee Mill roads and at one point had amassed more than 1,000 acres.
On February 1, 1948 Archibald Johnston died of natural causes at his estate at the age of 83 and left his employees gifts of between $500 and $1,000 in his will.
In his final days, Archibald's wife Estelle, noted in her diary that he was a "real Christian" who "did good work here on Earth," and helped people in trouble.
To learn more about the Historic Archibald Johnston Mansion for public use as a community and educational center in Bethlehem Township’s Housenick Park visit TheArchieproject.org and thefriendsofjohnston.org.
Information for this episode has been provided by the National Museum of Industrial History, the NYT, the Bethlehem Area Public Library and Lehigh University’s Library Special Collections.
