South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania

The first settlers of the Lehigh Valley region were Germans, who emigrated from earlier settlements along Perkiomen Creek. The earliest settlers arrived in the region over a 20-year period beginning in about 1732. The immigration of the Germans and other European natives, including Swiss and Huguenots, was aided by William Penn and his friends. The land lying south of South Mountain was given to William Penn in 1713 by the Lenape Native American tribe. The land of Lehigh County between Blue Mountain and Lehigh Mountain was granted to Penn's sons by the Lenape in 1732. European immigrants were drawn to the area because of its reputation for fertile land and its limestone flanking rivers and streams, including present-day Jordan Creek.

One of the earliest tracts of land purchased in the township was by Nicholas Kern, who bought property on December 3, 1735, and October 28, 1737. Some of this was sold to Lorenz Guth on February 27, 1739. Guth continued to buy land in the area of the Reformed Church property and also in the Guthsville area. By 1769 his holdings totaled 759 acres (3.07 km²). The Lorenz Guth house near Wehr's Dam still stands in excellent condition and is a fine example of colonial architecture.

Much of the history of South Whitehall can be traced to the Walbert-Guthsville region, and especially the two Jordan churches. The first ministration to the Lutherans in the township occurred in 1734 when Reverend John Casper Stoever baptized Margaret, the daughter of the John Lichtenwalners, on February 6. In 1736 a Reverend Schmidt preached occasionally to the Lutherans, and in 1739 Reverend John Justus Jacob Birkenstock became pastor of the Jordan Lutheran congregation. In 1845 it was noted that the centennial of the congregation was observed, which would indicate that the first building was erected in 1745. The first church building was of logs and stood near the north wall of the old burial ground. It was used jointly by the Lutheran and Reformed congregations until about 1752 when the Reformed erected a building half a mile to the east, within sight of the current municipal building. The Lutherans built the present church in 1842–1843 at a cost of $3,581.24 (equivalent to $112,000 in 2022). It was renovated in 1868, and in 1886 a fine, shapely, slate-covered steeple, 138 feet (42 m) high, was erected.

Members of the Reformed (United Church of Christ) religion settled in the area as early as 1738, and baptisms of their children during the period of 1740 to 1752 are recorded in the Lutheran record book. In 1752 Lorenz Guth presented the Reformed with a 50-acre (20 ha) tract of land, and a log church was erected in six weeks. The second and present church building, with its 110-foot (34 m) steeple, was built in 1808. It stands as one of the oldest church buildings in the country, and is a fine example of the architecture of that period.

The early schools of the township were connected with the two Jordan churches for many years, possibly extending back to 1739. According to the Roberts history, the congregations were at first supplied not by pastors, but by teachers who used to read sermons on Sundays. Thus, it is possible that church-sponsored schools taught by the readers existed in the earliest days of the congregations.

The original name "Whitehall" dates to 1740 and encompasses the land now found in North Whitehall, South Whitehall, and Whitehall townships. Prior to the establishment of Northampton County in 1752, the area was part of Bucks County, and the land currently occupied by South Whitehall was known as "the back part of Macungie" on the Heidelberg District. The name Whitehall is thought to be derived from one of two sources: either a place in England, or for a white house erected as a hunting lodge near Jordan and Cedar creeks.

South Whitehall Township was established in 1810 by a petition to the Northampton County Court to divide former Whitehall Township into two areas, North Whitehall and South Whitehall. In 1812, Lehigh County was divided off from the original Northampton County, establishing South Whitehall Township within and nearly at the center of Lehigh County. Agriculture was the backbone of the economy of the township for many years. Much of the land today still is under cultivation. For more than a century at least six grain mills flourished on Jordan and Cedar creeks. In the early 19th century, iron ore was discovered at different places in the township, and mining operations were carried on from 1820 to 1890. In 1867, the eastern portion of South Whitehall and the southeastern portion of North Whitehall were detached and formed into Whitehall Township.

In 1966, South Whitehall became a First Class Township. The Dorneyville Crossroad Settlement, Haines Mill, Manasses Guth Covered Bridge, and Wehr Covered Bridge, each located in the township, have been listed with the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

• Upper Macungie Township (southwest)
• Lower Macungie Township (south)
• Salisbury Township (south)
• Allentown (southeast)
• Whitehall Township (northeast)
• North Whitehall Township (north)
• Lowhill Township (tangent to the west)

South Whitehall elects five at-large commissioners for four-year terms.[11]

• Diane Kelly, President
• David M. Kennedy, Vice President
• Monica Hodges, Asst. Secretary
• Jacob D. Roth
• Brad Osborne