4th of July Horn and Whistle Recording Session
2024-07-04 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
“Surveying the ruder ages from her pinnacle of refinement, picking among historic methods of solemnly hailing an illustrious day, America found nothing so fit for the purpose as the steam whistle.” George E. Pond, on whistling for the 4th, 1876
Celebrate the 4th as factories, railroads, and ships have, by sounding whistles and horns. This special event will begin with a presentation by Brian Ferrence at 11 AM on the history of whistles used on steam locomotives. At noon, we will use compressed air to blow a variety of whistles and horns, each taking its turn so their unique sounds can be recorded.
Do you own a whistle or air horn that you would like to hear? If so, bring it in, and if it passes a safety review, we will do our best to pipe it in. There are many such devices that were salvaged from old locomotives, mines, and mills, that have not been heard in decades. Let’s hear them now.
All activities included with Museum admission.
Earplugs will be for sale.

Bethlehem Steel Locomotive Engineer Experience
2024-07-07 11:00 - 15:15, 2024-07-21 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-04 11:00 - 15:15, 2024-08-18 11:00 - 15:15, 2024-09-01 11:00 - 15:15, 2024-09-15 11:00 - 15:15, 2024-10-06 11:00 - 15:15, 2024-10-20 11:00 - 15:15 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States

Lehigh Valley Passport to History Week 3
2024-07-21 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Passport to History Month is a celebration of the places, stories, and community that bring local history to life.
Each weekend in July, participating historic and cultural sites in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties will open their doors to the public with FREE tours, activities, and programs for visitors of all ages. See the schedule for Weekend 3 below:
National Museum of Industrial History
Sunday, July 21 — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
602 E. SECOND STREET, BETHLEHEM, PA 18015
Enjoy free admission and explore the story of the people, innovation, and inventions that shaped America into an industrial powerhouse supplying products to the world. Visit our special exhibition, New and Improved! The Age of Convenience in the Home for a blast-from-the-past look at what it meant to strive for the American Dream after WWII. Families can also drop by between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for “Float Your Boat,” a S.T.E.A.M. Adventure activity that explores concepts like building, engineering, and strategic thinking.
Special Exhibition information: New and Improved! The Age of Convenience in the Home

S.T.E.A.M. Adventures
2024-07-21 11:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on the third Sunday of each month for a drop-in style family program to engage in S.T.E.A.M. concepts like building, engineering, and strategic thinking. During Family Sundays, all youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. Adult admission is $15. This month’s activity is “Float Your Boat”.

Metal Melting for Kids
2024-07-21 12:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States

Anthracite Railroad Ramble 2024
2024-07-31 09:00 - 18:00
The National Museum of Industrial History is proud to work with the Reading & Northern Railroad to host a day-long rare mileage train ride on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The trip will depart from the brand-new station in Nesquehoning, PA ( 1 Iron Horse Way, Nesquehoning, PA 18240), at 9 AM, with guests riding aboard a pair of open window Budd RDCs (self-propelled Rail Diesel Cars). The destination will be Vosburg Tunnel, a 3,900 foot long former Lehigh Valley Railroad tunnel north of Tunkhannock, PA, that was completed in 1886. Photo run bys will be held at various locations with plenty of time for photographs after the trip as our group tours the Reading & Northern Railroad Nesquehoning Campus, an adaptive re-use of the former KME firetruck factory, now being used for mechanical repairs, offices, training facilities, and The Nesquehoning Regional Railroad Station.
We are pleased to announce that a portion of the 2024 Anthracite Railroad Ramble will include historical narration from Michael Helbing, President of Metrotrails. He will discuss the railroad, canal, and industrial history along the route, especially the spectacular transportation corridor through Lehigh Gorge.
Guests can bring their own lunch or pre-purchase a box lunch to eat on the train. Light snacks and drinks will also be available for sale on the train (cash only). Seating is limited and expected to sell out. Guests must arrange their own transportation to and from Nesquehoning, PA.
ALL TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE ON A FIRST COME – FIRST SERVED BASIS. SEATING IS LIMITED. NO SALES DAY OF THE TRIP. SALES END ONE WEEK BEFORE THE TRIP. NO ASSIGNED SEATING. THE RAILROAD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SUBSTITUTE MOTIVE POWER AS CONDITIONS REQUIRE. ALL CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF AGE MUST HAVE A TICKET. ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Tickets available here.

$5 Express Tickets During Musikfest
2024-08-01 10:00 - 2024-08-11 18:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Attending Musikfest 2024? Stop by the Museum to cool down and enjoy $5 admission, extended hours, a truly unique gift shop and amazing stories of American ingenuity throughout history. NMIH will be open 10-6 on August 1st through 4th and August 7th through 11th. Please note the Museum is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Metal Melting for Kids
2024-08-04 12:00 - 15:00, 2024-08-18 12:00 - 15:00, 2024-09-01 12:00 - 15:00, 2024-09-15 12:00 - 15:00

AUTHOR TALK: Bethlehem Steel Rusting Relic with Steven & John Landis
2024-08-10 13:00 - 14:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us for a guest lecture and book signing for “Bethlehem Steel Rusting Relic”. In 2001, the unthinkable happened when Bethlehem Steel declared bankruptcy after nearly a century and a half of making iron and steel for bridges, buildings, dams, railroad rail, ships, armor plating, armaments, and numerous other products. When the flagship plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, closed, it sat abandoned for some years before the hallowed site was repurposed with a casino, hotel, restaurants, and shops. During the time in between, Steven M. Landis had rare, sanctioned access to photograph the derelict plant, capturing incredible photography of many never-before-seen and likely never-to-be-seen-again perspectives by climbing everything he could, both inside and outside the abandoned buildings, including to the top of the blast furnaces. When combined with his artistic eye, the viewers will find that Steven’s camerawork truly “elevates” Bethlehem Steel photography. His dad, John K. Landis, subsequently became an Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites tour guide in 2019 and began showing those photographs–published here for the first time–to visitors in order to reveal sections of the shuttered plant that were inaccessible or altogether gone. John wrote the accompanying text after hosting hundreds of Bethlehem Steel plant tours. Included with Museum Admission.
Steven M. Landis works as a key account manager in the automotive industry, where he has been employed in a variety of roles for nearly two decades. He is an inventor and creative writer, enjoys the agony and elation of mountain climbing, and loves photographing the beautiful, bizarre, and especially hard-to-access or abandoned places. He regrets having been too young to ever have worked at Bethlehem Steel but counts the rare access he had exploring and photographing the hallowed grounds of the former flagship plant—where so much of modern U.S. and global history was written—as being among the best moments in his life.
John K. Landis, a steel plant tour guide with Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites, is often asked if he worked for Bethlehem Steel. He is in fact a graphic designer and professor emeritus of art. But, on tour days, he feels like he does work for this icon of American heavy industry, albeit as a “looper,” the name Bethlehem Steel gave to management trainees on a “loop course” around the plant as they learned about the company. It is with this perspective that John wrote text to accompany the photographs, awed as he is by the beauty of our industrial heritage and eager to pass along his continuously evolving knowledge of the might and majesty of the steel industry of
the past.

S.T.E.A.M. Adventures
2024-08-18 11:00 - 15:00
Join us on the third Sunday of each month for a drop-in style family program to engage in S.T.E.A.M. concepts like building, engineering, and strategic thinking. During Family Sundays, all youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. Adult admission is $15. This month’s activity is Rock Painting! Learn about the raw materials needed in the steelmaking process and paint your own rock to either take home or decorate our museum garden.

2024 Annual Gala
2024-09-14 17:00 - 20:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
On September 14th, we gathered together at the Museum to celebrate our mission and honor Manufacturers Resource Center with the Spirit of Innovation Award. A heartfelt thank you to Manufacturers Resource Center, the PA Dream Team, our generous sponsors and attendees, and our dedicated Board of Directors, staff and volunteers for making this evening possible. Thanks also to our guest performers Madelyn Dundon and Patrick Kerssen and to Settlers Hospitality/Karen Hunter and CB Banquet Services for the delicious food and drink.
All proceeds help support our dynamic exhibits, innovative programs, youth educational initiatives and the ongoing care of our collections. Together, we can preserve the past, explore the present and inspire future generations. Thank you!

Metal Health: A Veteran focused hands-on iron art casting workshop
2024-09-20 10:00 - 14:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
On Friday, September 20th, from 10 AM to 2 PM, NMIH will host a workshop led by Veteran and artist Jay Elias of Evolution Art Studios. Elias, a former United States Marine, served during the Gulf War era. Suffering from undiagnosed and untreated PTSD, he wound up on the wrong side of the law and eventually served a lengthy prison sentence. After many years of gradually declining mental health, he discovered the healing effects that art and the creative process can provide to promote both spiritual and emotional wellness. He created Evolution Art Studio to share this holistic approach to healing with other veterans and members of the community alike.
The workshop will introduce the process used to create three-dimensional sculptural forms in cast iron —patternmaking, mold-making and casting. The workshop includes instruction in the use of pattern materials. Most participants make their patterns from several pre-made forms. Workshop participants can customize their own design to these existing forms, making them unique, or build entirely from scratch using techniques demonstrated during the workshop.
On Saturday, September 21st at 7pm, a public iron pour demonstration will take place outdoors in the Museum’s Foundry Park (weather permitting) with the participation of workshop registrants. Whether they attended the workshop the day before or not, anyone from the public is invited to watch the pour, where scrap iron will be recycled and melted down in a visually stunning process of fire and molten metal. After cooling down from 2700 degrees Fahrenheit, the resulting cast iron sculptures and objects will be on exhibit for the general public on Sunday, September 22nd during Steel Weekend before their makers bring them home.
All activities will take place outdoors at the National Museum of Industrial History, located on the grounds of the former Bethlehem, PA, plant of Bethlehem Steel.
Participants must be prepared to work with sand and wear safety glasses. Anyone who has their own safety glasses is welcome to bring them. Limited quantities will be available on site.
Space is limited and registration is required. Free for veterans, $40 for general public. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Register Here

Steel Weekend 2024
2024-09-21 10:00 - 2024-09-22 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us for an exploration of all things STEEL!
Featuring
Free admission all day | Steelworkers Reunion | Guest Speakers | Steelworker Portrait Studio
Pop-Up Exhibits | Youth Activities | Public Art Installation
Live Demonstrations | Songs About Steelmaking & More
DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAM/SCHEDULE OF EVENTS HERE.
Can’t attend, but still want to lend your support? Donate here.

Steeples & Steel Tour with Steelworkers' Archives
2024-09-28, 2024-10-26

Guest Lecture: The Life & Legacy of Robert Sayre
2024-10-13 13:00 - 14:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Robert Heysham Sayre initiated or influenced nearly every industrial, educational, and public welfare development in the Lehigh Valley during the second half of the 19th century. Born on October 13, 1824, Sayre learned engineering in his early youth building the Switchback Railroad and enlarging the Morris Canal, and at age 30 was named chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad by Asa Packer. Packer also directed him to build the rolling mill that became the Bethlehem Iron Works and Sayre remained a manager and officer of the company until 1899.
At the same time, Sayre’s involvement in community projects, education, and philanthropy shaped the growth of South Bethlehem and its institutions. His legacy as one of the founders of Lehigh University, St. Luke’s Hospital, the Church (now the Cathedral Church) of the Nativity, and many public utilities continues to today.
The National Museum of Industrial History is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Robert Heysham Sayre, with a special display of objects, letters, and photographs from his life on view September 14, 2024 through the end of the year.
Join us on October 13, 2024 at 1 PM as we welcome industrial historian Professor John Smith and local author Martha Capwell Fox for an intimate discussion of the life of Robert Sayre and his industrial and philanthropic legacy.
Included with museum admission

S.T.E.A.M. Adventures: Halloween
2024-10-20 11:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on the third Sunday of each month for a drop-in style family program to engage in S.T.E.A.M. concepts like building, engineering, and strategic thinking. During Family Sundays, all youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. Adult admission is $15. This month’s theme will be Halloween with lots of Spooky S.T.E.A.M. activities!

VR Experience: Watershed Explorers
2024-10-20 11:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Come join us for an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience to learn about industrial history in our watershed. Take a virtual canoe exploration down the Lehigh River to learn how the industrial revolution influenced and transformed our communities. In the VR experience, you will learn about the importance of coal, canals, and railroads, the cement and steel industries, and how areas in the Lehigh Valley were reinventing and transformed.
The experiences will be available at National Museum of Industrial History on October 20th from 11am-3pm and on November 17th from 11:30am-3pm. This program takes place during Family Sundays at NMIH. Youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult.

Engineering of Fear: How Innovation Created Haunted Attractions
2024-10-27 11:00 - 12:30 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join Mitch Roshannon, Event and Entertainment Manager at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA, for a presentation tracing the history of “haunted” amusement attractions and dark rides. A lifelong horror enthusiast, Roshannon will illustrate how advancements in industrial engineering were adopted for entertainment purposes and allowed for “haunts” to be a viable industry. From the first steam powered haunted house though control systems and modern hydraulic animatronics, come explore the evolution of the entire industry. Included with regular museum admission.

About the presenter
Mitch Roshannon is the Event and Entertainment Manager at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA where he has spent the last decade. He is a lifelong horror enthusiast, interested in the genre in all its forms, including in-person haunts and Halloween themed events. He has assisted in the setup for Hallo-Fun at Knoebels for many years and finds his connection to the current talk through those experiences and personal study.

Thank you to our presenting partner

Haunted Attractions – Images courtesy of Knoebels/Mitch Roshannon

NMIH in the Bethlehem Halloween Parade
2024-10-27 14:00
Join us for a Bethlehem tradition! The 103rd Annual City of Bethlehem Halloween Parade will be held on Sunday, October 27th at 2:00pm. NMIH will be participating with a “Forging Candy” float inspired by our community’s rich historical ties to the steel industry.
In the event of inclement weather, the parade will be postponed to Sunday, November 3rd. The parade route (approx. 1.5 miles) will begin on West Broad Street and 9th Avenue and continue east on Broad and south on Main Street, concluding on Main and Spring Streets.
Full parade details on the City of Bethlehem website.
