Folks curious about the American Revolution and our nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence are flocking to Lehigh County Historical Society’s Heritage Museum this year.

The Allentown museum, an institution of lifelong learning, has an impressive exhibit on the American Revolution and the role the Lehigh Valley played in winning America’s freedom.

In addition, a number of lectures are continuing to be presented at the museum this year on local, state and national history.

On both Juneteenth, June 19, and July 4, Dr. Jim Higgins, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum and a professor of history, spoke about the Lehigh Valley’s local connection to these historical milestones.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was declared on Jan. 1, 1863, Texas did not release its slaves until June 19, 1865, when military troops arrived in Galveston. Texas had ignored the Proclamation for 2-1/2 years and was the last state to free its slaves.

Audience members were surprised to learn that slaves were once held locally. William Allen, founder of Allentown, made a fortune in slave traffic, according to Higgins. James Allen, William’s son, who eventually built and lived in Trout Hall, owned no slaves, but acquired three slaves as part of his wife’s dowry.

One of these slaves is depicted in a new painting unveiled at the museum and based on an entry in Allen’s diary in January 1777.

The painting, by Allentown artist Dana Van Horn, shows a carriage occupied by Allen’s wife, daughter and daughter’s friend. It was operated by Allen’s slave and was being attacked by a Patriot militia from Northampton County, which Higgins described as part-time soldiers who mainly were a drinking organization.

The militia stopped the carriage. In the painting, the slave is trying to defend the women, who saw three bayonets penetrate the interior compartment. The captain of the militia eventually pulled his men off and James Allen, hearing the women screaming, ran to rescue them.

Allen’s slaves were freed when he died of tuberculosis in 1778, according to instructions in his will.

James Allen was a loyalist. He had not been in favor of breaking away from Britain in 1776. Others in Lehigh County agreed with him. But Allen did not actively oppose the independence, especially since in 1777 Pennsylvania passed a statute making treason punishable by death, Higgins said.

George Taylor, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a poor Irish immigrant who came to this area as an indentured servant. He later built a home in Easton and became a justice of the peace.

The mansion he built in Catasauqua is one of the rare remaining homes in America built and owned by a signer. Formerly owned and preserved by the Lehigh County Historical Society, the home is now a museum owned by the Borough of Catasauqua. Higgins displayed an original deed with Taylor’s signature, which is a valuable piece of history kept in a vault in the museum.

Other local museum artifacts related to the American Revolution include a wrought iron brake handle from the Frederick Leaser wagon that helped to transport the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown in 1777.

In addition, the museum has an ornate teapot owned by John Jacob Mickley, who also helped transport the Liberty Bell. Higgins said the teapot showed that Mickley “could afford the finer things in life.”

Despite some beliefs, hiding the Liberty Bell was not the most important role Lehigh County had during the Revolutionary War, according to Higgins. In 1776 two hospitals and two prisoner of war camps in Allentown were major repositories of soldiers in the war.

Hessians in the prisoner camps here worked during the day at local farms, where they were considered “good guys.” Some even married local women and remained in the Lehigh Valley, Higgins explained.

He and other historians do not think the Liberty Bell was brought here to protect it from being melted by the British and turned into ammunition. No record of the British soldiers running short of ammunition exists, Higgins noted. He described that theory as “the intersection of myth and reality.”

Bells were the most expensive piece of property on a building, even more valuable than the church buildings, Higgins said, adding that they were often used as public address systems to reach a wide area. People could hear the bells for miles.

Describing the Liberty Bell’s journey, Higgins said nobody ever put on paper at the time what route the bell traveled. He added that Mickley’s wagon, which had been in Philadelphia to sell his farm goods, was pulled by oxen, not horses.

According to some stories, the Continental Army in Philadelphia told Mickley to take the bell north, and along the way his wagon broke down in Bethlehem and the bell was transferred to another wagon, owned by Frederick Leaser, and brought to Allentown’s Zion Church, where it was hidden for nine months.

As our nation marks its 250th anniversary this year, Higgins reminded his audience that the Declaration of Independence was not a document to establish our government.

Instead, the Declaration explains why we were declaring our separation from Britain, providing reasons and grievances to justify the bold step.

Higgins described the Declaration of Independence as “the birthday card of our country’s founding.”

And, like all birthdays, it is worth celebrating, especially at the Heritage Museum, which is the local showcase for Lehigh Valley Revolutionary War-era history.