Upper Milford Township

As early as 1681, large numbers of German immigrants came to Pennsylvania. These deeply religious and thrifty Pennsylvania Dutch established Shimerville, Old Zionsville, Dillinger Station, Powder Valley, Vera Cruz, Sigmund, and Zionsville Station in the territory called Upper Milford, the first township organized in present-day Lehigh County. The villages flourished with the opening of the first public road in the county that passed through Upper Milford on the way to Philadelphia. Notable landmarks in the community serve as a reminder of the area’s rich history. A statue of Lenape chief Lapowinsa watches over Jasper Park in Vera Cruz, the location of one of the most significant archeological sites in eastern Pennsylvania. The Zionsville area features several picturesque old churches. Powder Valley has the preserved site of the Stahl Brother’s Pottery, and the countryside is still dotted with many bank barns and stately homes of early German farm families