[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 58 (Thursday, April 25, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE BOROUGH OF ALBURTIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHARLES W. DENT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 25, 2013

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, to honor the people of the 
Borough of Alburtis, both past and present as they prepare to celebrate 
the Borough's Centennial.
   Mr. Speaker, the Borough of Alburtis is located in Lehigh County. It 
was formally incorporated on May 9, 1913 out of the neighboring town of 
Alburtis and the village of Lockridge.
   While it was incorporated in 1913, the Borough's history dates back 
into the 1850's. As with so many communities across the United States, 
development was sparked by the arrival of the railroads. These included 
the Philadelphia and Reading, the Catasauqua and Fogelsville and the 
East Pennsylvania railroads. In fact the Borough takes its name from 
Edward K. Alburtis, a civil engineer and Board Director of the 
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.
   The railroads were drawn by the presence of iron ore in the area. 
The village of Lockridge grew as a result of the presence of the 
Lockridge Iron Company operating an iron furnace, Lockridge Furnace, in 
the area. Housing and a church sprang up around the furnace.
   In a testament to the spirit, skill and entrepreneurial spirit of 
the people who lived in the area, other industries soon developed 
including a silk mill, shirt factories, and a shoe factory in the late 
1800s.
   Alburtis had a population of 700 people in 1914; on the advent of 
its Centennial, 2,300 people now call the one square mile Alburtis 
Borough their home.
   Eventually, in 1921, Lockridge Furnace ceased operation. Lehigh 
County bought the property in 1970 and now the former industrial site 
serves the community as the picturesque Lockridge Park and Museum which 
opened its doors in 1976, the year of America's Bicentennial.
   The Furnace serves the people of Alburtis as a wonderful 
recreational site and a great draw for those interested in the history 
of Lehigh County. Indeed, the residents' commitment to their heritage 
is shown by their outstanding historical preservation efforts on 
display in Alburtis' downtown.
   Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to represent the people of 
Alburtis in the Congress of the United States at the time of their 
Centennial celebration and, with the blessings of Divine Providence; it 
is my great hope that one hundred years from now another Representative 
of the United States Congress stands in this Chamber to offer their 
words of praise in support of the intrepid people of Alburtis on the 
occasion of its Bicentennial.

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