Hemphill Farm

It now is an operating farm with a variety or small animals including chickens and sheep. The area now known as Bear Creek was home to the Rittenhouse Gap mines, a part of the Mid-Atlantic Iron Belt. The mines date back to the late 1800s and the time of Thomas Edison, who was drawn to the mines to develop a cost-effective means of extracting iron ore from crushed rock. The railroad servicing the m

ines was known as the Catasuaqua-Fogelsville Railroad. It was built in the 1850s as a way to transport iron ore to furnaces along the Lehigh River, including Lock Ridge Furnace in Alburtis, where the ore was used to make cannon and machinery. The Rittenhouse Gap mines were abandoned after World War I when the iron industry was drawn to the upper Midwest. Nearby the farm is Bear Creek Mountain Resort, plenty of dining opportunities and other recreation. Located only minutes from I-78 accessing New York City within 1.5 hours and one hour to Philadelphia and 30 minutes to Lehigh Valley International airport. The area is also known for it's cycling and the Lehigh Valley Velodrome which is only three miles from the farmhouse.