Macada
Former Village
Etymology: Macadam
Shimersville is located in Pennsylvania
Shimersville
Shimersville
Shimersville is located in the United States
Shimersville
Shimersville
Coordinates: 40°39′25″N 75°21′22″W / 40.65682903045693°N 75.35622773495402°W / 40.65682903045693; -75.35622773495402
CountryUnited States
State Pennsylvania
County Northampton
Best's General Store opens1889
Absorbed into Bethlehem1904-1920
Founded byWilliam H. Best

Macada was a former village in Northampton County, Pennsylvania located adjacent to Bethlehem. The village was initially a loosely defined farming community across the entire norther border of the borough until 1889 when William H. Best opened a general store which became the de-facto village center.[1]

History

In 1895, William H. Best's general store also operated as a post office.[2] The village was geographically close to Altonah, with the exact borders between the two villages being poorly defined. When Best chose to name his post office he initially wanted to name it after the older and more established Altonah, however, he decided that the name was too similar to Altoona.

At the same time, Nazareth Pike was being paved with macadam, so Best named the village Macada.[3] The village was annexed by Bethlehem during its consolidation effort between 1904 and 1920; Altonah and Hottlesville, Pennsylvania also were similarly annexed.[4]

Best's general store remained open until 1982 when it no longer became profitable. The lot remained abandoned until 2015 when a pre-school, the Lightbridge Academy, was built on its site.[5] The only remaining trace of Macada today is Macada Street.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Rehm, Jason. "THE STREETS OF BETHLEHEM". lvpnews.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "WILLIAM H. BEST". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bethlehem's Best General Store to be demolished". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Grygiel, Phillips Preiss. "Preservation Plan for the City of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania" (PDF). bethlehem-pa.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Radzievich, Nicole. "Pre-school, personal care facility OK'd for 'Besty's' property in Bethlehem". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
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