The early twentieth century saw great numbers of European immigrants enter the United States, many of whom made their home in South Bethlehem. Children of immigrants, who lived in the neighborhood around St. Michael's Cemetery, often used the nearby sandpit as their unsupervised playground. This natural sandy feature atop South Mountain kept many children occupied and out of trouble, including little Louise Szabo whose backyard butted against St. Michael's Cemetery.

One day, Louise wandered into her parent's parlor on East Fourth Street in South Bethlehem during the 1930s at a time when children were "to be seen and not heard." The curious child sat quietly in a chair and listened intently to Gabor Szime, her Roumanian grandpa tell a tale of the mysterious "cuckoo clams" he saw in nearby St. Michael's Cemetery.

It wasn't until many years later as an adult that Louise understood the meaning of this family legend and what Grandpa actually saw - members of the "Ku Klux Klan" who confronted him in St. Michael's Cemetery. The presence of Klansmen may have seemed improbable in South Bethlehem - though it was in fact the truth.

On Fri., Sept. 25, 1931, the Bethlehem Bulletin reported the KKK would hold demonstrations on the weekend of the 26th and 27th. Pennsylvania Klansmen had arranged activities over those two days, which included speeches, attractive patriotic parades and fireworks for anyone interested in attending the festivities.

On Mon., Sept. 28, the Bethlehem Globe Times reviewed every detail on the Klan's itinerary: rallies, choral groups and a speech given by Grand Dragon Dr. Herbert C. Shaw. Emphasis on Bible reading in public schools and the need to teach more "Christian" Gospel were subjects stressed by Dr. Hiram W. Evans, Imperial Wizard of the KKK.

As the weekend events concluded at 10 o'clock that evening, a 40-foot wooden cross was set ablaze, "to spread its illuminating rays of truth and doctrines in America." The object of the demonstration was to propagate the Klan's doctrine on the dangers of immigrants infiltrating America's homeland and the presence of the Catholic Church in Italy and Spain.

Interestingly, many Bethlehem citizens attended the demonstration and certainly impressed some individuals by speeches of prejudice - especially against Southside immigrants, many of whom were Roman Catholics. This would explain the presence of Klansmen at St. Michael's Cemetery after Mass on Sunday - the Klan's device to intimidate Catholic immigrants.

The Ku Klux Klan (kyklos or kuklos, a Greek term meaning "circle," and klan, a variation of "clan") was a secret organization formed after the Civil War. Southern white men posed as ghostly, white-hooded nightriders and set fiery crosses ablaze in an attempt to induce terror, superstition and fear in freed black slaves.

Enforced by federal troops, the Civil Rights Act of 1871 put an end to Klan activities. Just when almost all traces of the Klan had disappeared, American film director, David Wark "D. W." Griffith (1875-1948) released his epic twelve-reel, 159-minute silent motion picture, "The Birth of a Nation." It was enormously popular and broke box office records, but aroused controversy due to its depiction of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan and race relations in the Civil War. On the other hand, the film glorified the Klan at a time when anti-black, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish and anti-immigrant feelings were rampant in America.

"The Birth of a Nation" was released on March 3, 1915 at the Liberty Theatre in New York. It starred Lillian Gish, Henry B. Walthall and Mae Marsh. Taken from the four-act play, "The Clansmen," was performed at the Liberty Theatre in 1906 and was based on Rev. Thomas Nixon's novel of the same name. The story focused on two families living through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Under Griffith's direction, the Ku Klux Klan was portrayed in a heroic light, which has kept the film at the center of controversy even to this day. Inspired by the film, a second Klan was organized in 1915 by Georgia politician Thomas E. Watson and supported by William J. Simmons to justify the creation of a fraternal corporation - complete with hooded uniforms and membership fees.

In Nesquehoning, Lehighton and Weissport, Carbon County, Pa., entire families bought into the spirit of the fraternal organization and enjoyed Sunday afternoon picnics organized by the Klan, often immortalized in family photographs. By 1924, four to six million Americans were KKK members. Due to the Klan's inability to pay back taxes, the IRS filed a lien on the fraternal organization and by 1944 the second Klan was forced to dissolve.

Fortunately for little Louise Szabo, being "seen and not heard" eventually allowed her to understand the legend behind Grandpa's story - a history-making event near her own backyard.