Today Susan and I drove up to Phillipsburg in New Jersey, and then a few more miles to Easton Pennsylvania . As we drove here, the forests again changed their character, going more to fir trees, and eastern elm and maple. Spring is in the air here, with many trees just starting to bloom.
As we went sightseeing in the local towns founded around 1750, it was interesting to see the different character of the homes, some falling down, to the total renovation of others.
The main industry here n the 1830s was the construction of a canal to transport goods across Pennsylvania to the Lehigh River. It was quite a feat, being built along the lines of the Roman aqueducts. The lands along the River attracted great industrial development when the canal was completed. Easton continues to prosper as a center of industry and commerce.
Another interesting find, was that this was the hometown of Larry Holmes, the boxer that was the world heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1985. To this day, it is the longest title reign of any boxer. He managed his money wisely, and today has office buildings and other business interests in the town, as well as working on many charitable foundation boards.
Susan was also excited to find that this was the purported home of the first Chrismas tree in America. It turns out that there is much contention about this in various cities in the east. What is known, is that the German settlers brought this tradition to America when they immigrated.
Tomorrow evening we head back to the boat, and weather permitting, cruise to New York Tuesday.