Slate Belt Heritage Center

What's New?


Note: starting in December, we are holding our monthly lectures on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2:00 pm.

New Bus Tours!

On April 4th, 2009, we launched the third of our ethnic heritage books: At the Blue Hills Above the Forks: Pennsylvania Dutch Culture in Northampton County’s Slate Belt by author Melissa E. Hough.

It is available for sale at the Heritage Center, Merchants Bank, and Chocolates on Broadway.




Monthly Lecture Series


Summer lectures are the 2nd Thursday of the month from April to November at 7:00 pm.

Winter lectures are the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2:00 pm.

Check the schedule often as lectures may change.

Upcoming lectures feature:

NOTE: The Feb. (2/14) and Mar. (3/14) lectures have been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check back to see when they may be rescheduled.

Apr. 15th, John Reinhart
The Welsh of the Slate Belt

May 10th, Cheryl Statham
Preserving Food our Great Grandparents Way

Jun. 10th, Mike Piersa
Topic on Slate




Current Collections


Our collections are constantly changing. The next collections include:

Dec. 7th - Mar. 28th
Toys of Christmas Past

Mar. 28th - Jul. 31th
Welsh Display

See Photo Gallery of Past Exhibits

The Fire Museum


Fire Musuem In the beginning the fire hall was part of the Town Hall building, which was constructed in 1907. In 1876, the Rescue Fire Company was founded and was the first organized volunteer fire company to occupy the space. This is the oldest fire company in Northampton County.

This exhibit houses Bangor’s first hook and ladder fire truck, a 1922, chain driven, American La France Brochway. The truck served Bangor from 1922 to 1955. Other notable exhibits for viewing include a 1907 Gamwell battery charger for alarm systems, various fire fighting equipment such as extinguishers, uniforms, helmets, and a plethora of photographs. Other attractions include a wooden water main and plug, a hose cart, and a chemical hose wagon.

Hose CarrierThe hall not only displays the many items used by firemen in early years, but also the history of the honorable fire fighting service and how it has progressed through the decades. The rich tradition of the fire fighting service is emphasized along with their bravery. The exhibits display how fires were fought in the 1800’s and continue up to modern day in addition to painting the picture of the risks these courageous men faced. Throughout the year the Fire Museum will be displaying special exhibits and constantly adding additional exhibits. The fire museum will also be holding safety seminars for children in the near future.