Editing Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
The region which would become Fountain Hill was home to [[Lenape Indians]] prior to its acquisition by [[William Penn]] for his sons, [[Thomas Penn|Thomas]], [[John Penn (writer)|John]] and [[Richard Penn (governor)|Richard]] in 1681. The Penns would hire a [[American pioneer|pioneer]], Nicholas Doll, to settle the land, building the first structure there in 1739. The deed for the land was passed to several farming families before being sold to the [[Moravian Church|Moravians]] in the recently established [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]] in 1743.<ref name="history">{{cite web |title=About Fountain Hill |url=https://www.fountainhill.org/about-fountain-hill/ |website=fountainhill.org |access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref>

The Moravians would directly own the area which would become Fountain Hill for 32 years, and for 100 years after the purchase the area consisted of non-Moarvian [[tenant farmer]], the largest of which was a 147-acre farm owned by the Hoffert family. The farm house was built in 1755 by Cornelius Weygandt and remains the oldest standing structure in the borough.<ref name="history" />

In 1846 the Moravians sold 2-acres of the property to  Dr. Francis Henry Oppelt who opened a [[hotel]] and [[mineral spa]] on the site. Oppelt was a staunch believer in [[balneotherapy]], and believed the mineral waters could cure diseases and other ailments. Oppelt's facility would remain open for 25 years from 1846 until 1871.<ref name="history" />

Oppelt eventually went [[bankrupt]] with his resort being sold in a [[Sheriff Sale]] to one Tinsley Jeter, who in turn sold it to [[Asa Packer]], founder of [[Lehigh University]] in nearby Bethlehem, in 1876. Packer promptly gifted the land to [[St. Luke's University Health Network|St. Luke's Hospital]] who moved their hospital from South Bethlehem to the now vacant resort.<ref name="history" />

In 1848 the Hoffert farm was sold to [[real estate developers]] who turned it into a massive mansion named the "Fontainebleau Estate" which would trade ownership several times before 1866 when the estate would also be purchased by Tinsley Jeter who laid a town plot on the property. Jeter at the time was purchasing most of the farms in the region, as well as the mansions built for [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]] executives, many of which are preserved in the [[Fountain Hill Historic District]].<ref name="history" />

In 1866 Jeter was choosing a name for the property and settled on "Fountain Hill", due to the earlier '''Fontaine'''bleau estate, which stood on a small hill. In 1886 the growing town became the home to several [[Lehigh Valley Silk Mills|Silk Mills]] with the birth of the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref name="history" />

With the advent of local industry, the regions population surged, however, there was still no incorporated government, with the region operating as a [[Village (Pennsylvania)|village]] within [[Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania|Salisbury Township]]. After a successful petition to the Lehigh County government, Fountain Hill became an incorporated municipality on November 13, 1893.<ref name="history" />

In 1905 the residents of Fountain Hill rejected a proposal to join the municipality of South Bethlehem (annexed by Bethlehem in 1917) to form an Independent city.<ref name="History-2">{{cite web |title=Fountain Hill |url=https://www.bapl.org/local-history/local-history-timeline/fountainhillhistory/ |website=bapl.org |access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref> In 1919 Fountain Hill annexed some portions of neighboring Salisbury township, and around this time, Fountain Hills most famous resident, [[Stephen Vincent Benét]], began his literary career, publishing his famed poem [[John Brown's Body (poem)|''John Brown's Body'']] in 1929.<ref name="history" /> Through the 1940s Fountain Hill would remain a cultural retreat for Bethlehemites, hosting many operas, playhouses, and theaters. In 1949 Fountain Hill annexed another parcel from Salisbury township, bringing the borough to its present borders.<ref name="History-1">{{cite web |title=Fountain Hill’s Rich History |url=https://www.bapl.org/fountain-hill-history/ |website=bapl.org |access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref>