Before there were cars, air conditioning or the Internet, Bethlehem residents took their recreation on the islands of the Lehigh River. The cool breezes from the river provided for a pleasant summer afternoon.

Sand Island (Bethlehem)

In 1743, the Moravians established a laundry and a saw mill on this 20-acre island, conveniently located next to the main settlement of Bethlehem. The Lehigh Canal, built in 1829, brought much more traffic to the island. Several industrial mills and factories were constructed on the island. The inns, "Noah's Ark" and "Little Item," and the three-story brick Keystone House were built for the increased tourist trade. The Keystone House, built in 1851, is now headquarters for Fritch Fuel Company. The arrival of railroad service in 1850 squelched the canal traffic. A damaging flood, in 1862, wiped out several businesses on the island. It would have been a lovely spot for recreation, in the later half of the 1800s, but was used instead as a dump by Bethlehem residents. A few Bethlehem leaders stepped in to improve the island. William Doster, renamed the island "Wampanoag Island" in 1895 and built steps from the New Street Bridge directly to the island. He cleaned up the debris and promoted boating and swimming there, however his new name didn't stick. Also in 1938, T. M. Dodson built 11 clay tennis courts on the island. The city has recently spruced up the Charles Brown Ice House on Sand Island. The ice house is a performing arts center venue where the Mock Turtle Marionettes perform regularly.

Calypso Island (Bethlehem)

The 13-acre Calypso Island was a favorite destination because of the variety of flora and fauna that grew there. On a summer day, hundreds of visitors would arrive on the island by small steamboats, row boats or canoes. In a grove of Catalpa trees, a natural spring bubbled from the ground. Calypso Island was owned by the Moravian congregation. They built a wooden octagonal pavilion, a carousel and several picnic tables for the enjoyment of the community. Miles of paths spanned the island. In 1903, the congregation sold the island to the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which filled the channel between the island and the shore on the south side of the Lehigh River, to straighten out a curve in the rail line.

Jones Island (Bethlehem)

Jones Island was used as the crossing point on the Lehigh River on the Minsi Trail where Lenni Lenapi built rafts to cross the river there. Jones Island was annexed to the mainland by Bethlehem Iron company in 1888. At the time, the company was expanding its business from producing just iron rails to heavy steel forgings. The Minsi Trail Bridge, built and named by Gen. William E. Doster in 1914, was where the island was located.

Islands near Bethlehem

Freeman Island (Freemansburg)

If you follow the towpath trail in Freemansburg, to the bend of the river near the Locktender's house, at lock #44, you will find Freeman Island. It was settled in the 1740s by the Laubach family. The island offered 100 acres of rich farm land. The family prospered there until the loss of their small daughter Cara, to the swift rapids of the Lehigh River. Today the island is a part of the Delaware Lehigh Canal trail and owned by the borough of Freemansburg.

Adams Island (Allentown)

In the 1820s, Adams Island was formed when the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. was digging the Lehigh Canal. In 1907, the Allentown Swimming and Boating Club, formed by Gen. Harry Trexler, Judge Frank Trexler and Max Hess Sr., purchased the island and over the years sold 100 parcels for construction of year-round and summer homes.

Island Park (Wilson Borough)

Located west of the Chain Dam, an amusement park was built on the 100-acre Island Park in July 1894. Until the park closed in 1919, people came to ride the figure-eight-style toboggan roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, and pony rides. Entertainment of concerts, vaudeville shows, minstrels, silent movie matinees and plays were enjoyed in the Casino Theater or the band shell. John Phillip Sousa made an appearance at the band shell. Today, the park is a part of Hugh Moore Park and is a sanctuary for wildlife.

Oberly Island (Easton)

Oberly Island and a nearby site on the river's banks yielded more than 50,000 artifacts when archeologists for John Milner Associates studied them in the early 1990s. They found pottery, arrow tips and tools used for chopping. The team had to dig through five feet of coal dust before finding the artifacts. The excavation was done before the building of the Route 33 bridge.