Editing Emmaus, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
===18th century===
Emmaus was settled in the early 1700s during the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial era]] by [[Germans|German]] [[Protestantism|Protestants]] of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] and [[Reformed Christianity|Reformed]] faiths who were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Its earliest German settlers were primarily farmers. 

In 1741, the land on which present-day Emmaus is located was donated to the [[Moravian Church]] by Sebastian Heinrich Knauss and Jacob Ehrenhardt for the purpose of creating a closed faith-based village. The village was originally named Salzburg.<ref name="Emmaus"/> At the time of its founding in 1759, Emmaus was one of four leading Moravian communities in the [[Thirteen Colonies]]; [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]], [[Lititz, Pennsylvania|Lititz]], and [[Nazareth, Pennsylvania|Nazareth]], each in Pennsylvania, were the three others.

Two years later, in 1761, Moravian Bishop [[August Gottlieb Spangenberg]] announced the town's new name would be Emmaus, saying "Now here we build a village small; toward its completion we give all. Here, too, our hearts within shall flame; Emmaus then shall be its name."<ref name="Emmaus"/> For approximately 100 years, until the mid-19th century, Emmaus was a closed community of the Moravian Church. Emmaus was named for the [[Bible|Biblical]] village of [[Emmaus]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry|year=1905|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n118 119]}}</ref> where, according to the Bible's [[Gospel of Luke]], [[Jesus]] was seen by his disciples [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]] and [[Cleopas]] in what is known as his [[Road to Emmaus appearance]] following his [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].<ref>Luke 24:12-35</ref>

Three historic Emmaus residential structures built during the 18th and early 19th centuries, each still standing, have been added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. [[Shelter House]], constructed in 1734 by [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] settlers, is the oldest building structure in Emmaus and the oldest continuously occupied structure in the [[Lehigh Valley]].<ref name="Emmaus">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20211018165141/http://lehighvalleymarketplace.com/emmaus/  "Emmaus"]}} at Lehigh Valley Marketplace</ref> [[The 1803 House]] was built in 1803 in Emmaus by [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Revolutionary patriot militia]] member Jacob Ehrenhardt, Jr., son of one of the founders of Emmaus.<ref>[https://www.emmauspl.org/1803-house 1803 House] at Emmaus Public Library</ref> [[Kemmerer House]], built between 1840 and 1950, is a farmstead house in Emmaus.

===19th century===
From its founding in 1759 until 1830, the settlement's name was spelled "Emmaus." From 1830 until 1938, however, the community used the [[Pennsylvania Dutch language|Pennsylvania Dutch]] spelling of the name, "Emaus," with a [[Macron (diacritic)|macron line]] above the "m" to indicate a double letter. As English began emerging as the prevalent language in Pennsylvania, however, the line often was often omitted, leading to confusion about the correct spelling. In 1938, the local [[Rotary International|Rotary Club]] circulated petitions in support of changing the spelling to "Emmaus," and its spelling was changed to match the English version of the Bible's [[King James Version]]. Despite the 1938 spelling change, a major borough thoroughfare, Emaus Avenue, continues to retain the pre-1938 spelling.

Emmaus and the metropolitan [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]] area contributed considerable numbers of volunteers to the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Volunteers from the region comprised roughly 70 percent of the [[47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment]], which mobilized after the [[Battle of Fort Sumter|fall of Fort Sumter]] to [[Confederate States Army|Confederate forces]] in April 1861, and engaged Confederate forces in the [[Lower seaboard theater of the American Civil War|Lower seaboard theater]] in 
southern states through the Civil War's conclusion. On June 7, 1930, in recognition of the 47th Regiment's contributions to the preservation of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and Emmaus veterans who later served in the [[Spanish-American War]] and [[World War II]], Emmaus erected the Emaus Honor Roll, using the borough's initial spelling, in a mini-park between 3rd and 4th Streets in their honor.<ref>[https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/known-resting-places/regimental-memorials-by-city-47th-pennsylvania-volunteers/emaus-honor-roll/ Emaus Honor Roll], 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers website</ref>

[[Iron ore]] was discovered in and near Emmaus in the 19th century. Beginning in 1850, the Donaldson Iron Company in Emmaus mined and processed iron ore and manufactured [[cast iron]] pipes and other iron-related products. In 1859, [[Reading Company]] constructed railroad lines through Emmaus, which are still functioning. The same year, the town was incorporated as a borough. In 1869, the town's first [[blast furnace]] opened. Iron ore production fueled the town's growth through the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. During the 19th century, Emmaus was also a center of [[silk]] and [[cigar]] manufacturing.

===20th and 21st centuries===
In 1940, public census statistics showed that 6,731 people lived in Emmaus. The population of the borough has since nearly doubled to 11,467 as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. Housing construction has reached the borough line in all directions so significant continued population growth in the borough is unlikely. Outside the borough line, however, the local population continues to grow, especially in neighboring [[Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania|Lower Macungie Township]]. Consequently, growth in the Emmaus [[ZIP Code]] continues to expand but not within its borough limits.