First Reformed Church, Lancaster, Lancaster County

I'm in the city of Lancaster at least once a year, and I consider it one of my absolute favorite cities. I go there for a weekend with my friends in order to attend Zenkaikon, an annual gathering of fans of all sorts, and the square outside Lancaster Central Market is overflowing with costumed characters mixed with the (tolerantly amused) regular residents.

We were there again this year, in the spring, and I was at that time awaiting permission from the PHMC to set up this blog. My friends, who were a lot more confident than I was that it was going to happen, were encouraging me to take pictures of the signs and subjects that we found while walking around town. One of these was a beautiful church with an open garden, and we spent quite a few minutes admiring the First Reformed United Church of Christ.

Dery Silk Mill, Catasauqua, Lehigh County

I ended up doing this week's blog post a few days later than usual, on account of some bad weather in my area. My internet was extremely unreliable. I appreciate the patience shown by my Facebook followers, and now I'm taking you back to my hometown of Catasauqua for a look at another famous industrialist.

As I mentioned when talking about David Thomas, I grew up in the tiny borough which is proud to be known as the birthplace of the industrial revolution. The first thirtymumble years of my life were spent on Race Street, the town's main drag, which is also home to the Dery Silk Mill - a cornerstone of the company which was once the largest single private producer of silk in the entire world.