The Wilbur Mansion

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The Wilbur Mansion

The Wilbur MansionThe Wilbur MansionThe Wilbur Mansion
  • Home
  • Site History
  • Project Details
  • Project Updates
  • Chimney Swifts
  • Contact

Site History

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The Wilbur Mansion

In  1865,  Lehigh Valley entrepreneur, Elijah Packer Wilbur, built the Wilbur Mansion for his personal home.  Wilbur was the nephew of Asa Packer and was one of the founders of Lehigh University. He started the EP Wilbur Trust, one of the first banks in the Lehigh Valley, and he ran the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. He lived in the mansion with his family until he passed in 1913.  

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The Masonic Temple

In 1925, Wilbur's wife sold the Mansion to the Bethlehem Masons, who built their Lodge and Temple as an addition to the Mansion. The Masons held their meetings, membership gatherings, and hosted many events in the grand ballroom for almost 100 years.

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The Next Chapter

In 2015, the Masons put the entire site up for sale. On an impulse, John Noble purchased the site unsure of what to do with it, but he knew it had a lot of really exciting potential! Currently, the whole Noble family is working together with the help of great community partners to bring the Wilbur Mansion back to life and establish a spectacular venue at the gateway to Bethlehem!

A peek inside the Mansion...

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