As I've been studying up on Allentown's former merchants, I keep thinking of the radial population shift experienced by this city in one generation. While most the merchants of 1930 were at least 3th generation Allentonians, the new residents, mostly Hispanic, are almost all recent arrivals. Interest in local history is so small that even the local historic society concentrates on topics of national interest, such as Abraham Lincoln.
Talking of Lincoln, this population shift has had political consequences. Pawlowski, who hails from Chicago, was not unlike the carpetbaggers who went south after the civil war. I believe that we are in a historic void, between the old Pa. Dutch culture, and the new Hispanic population, which has not yet risen politically. And, like the south after the Civil War, the opportunists are making hay.
postcard above, Hamilton Street 1930
above reprinted from September of 2016
ADDENDUM JUNE 22, 2022: Here we are six years later, and we have a bridge mayor between the two cultures mentioned above. Although Matt Tuerk emphasizes the Hispanic in his background, and speaks Spanish, he doesn't dance the Merengue (so to speak).* However, certainly the Hispanic culture is now well established on city council. For those interested in learning more about the Pennsylvania Dutch culture, you'll have to now drive at least 20 miles west to Kutztown.
* Tuerk so far is doing a good job as mayor, but my job as a political/historical blogger does not allow me to become a fan of any politician.
Actually the most significant change that has occurred in our city in the past two decades isn't the change in ethnic demographics but political. Allentown has become a one party town, every office held and controlled by a single party. This change has had a far greater impact on Allentown.
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