One of General Trexler's first land donations to the City of Allentown was some acreage along the Little Lehigh. He wanted to make sure that the quality of the water supply for the city was protected. The above photograph shows one of first things built in Lehigh Parkway. Please note that the retaining walls on the park entrance road have not yet been built. On the previous post Anon 8:49 PM asks;
Has the City showed you the complete inventory and locations of all the WPA sites?
Not to sound too presumptuous, but I believe the current Administration is learning about the WPA sites from this blog, starting with Stairway To Shame. (Stairway To Shame compiled from two posts written in Sept. 2008) The photo shows the spring pond and ornamental bridge. Although water still comes from the spring pipe, residents today would have a hard time locating this image, although it's in a very prominent place.
The spring pond has been allowed to become overgrown, but the stones lining the pond are for the most part still there, buried under a few inches of dirt and tall grass.
Likewise the bridge is intact, but obscured by high grass. Now, I'm not a fan of the low mowing, high mowing and riparian buffer zones. Giving the advocates of those programs the benefit of the doubt, there can be no justification, whatsoever, for letting our historic treasures be overgrown and buried. The spring pond and bridge is right next to the parking lot in Robin Hood, the City now calls it Hole Number One of the Disc Golf Course. Hopefully the City will have enough consideration for General Trexler to weedwack the bridge, so that a father and his children can have a moment like the one shown at the top of this post.
reprinted from October of 2009
ADDENDUM NOVEMBER29,2018: Within two years, I prevailed upon Mike Gilbert, former manager of the park's water shed division, to clear the remaining stones and miniature bridge. Friends Of The Parks, under Karen El-Chaar, would clear it again a few years later.
This is such a beautiful and peaceful spot in the park that is just one of those precious gems that hopefully will not be lost if not maintained by the City of Allentown Parks Department. This structure along with the beautiful retaining wall with stairs and the oven/kiln structure are iconic to the park. These are treasures that need to be maintained and just not taken for granted. The park has changed through the years. There appears to be more emphasis on disc golf then on using it for a place to enjoy nature and it's peace and beauty. Hopefully the parks director will find that happy balance. And also ensure these WPA project icons in our park system are maintained so future generations can enjoy their beauty.
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