Site 5: Simon Silk Mill. Alexa Gatti and Nicole Maksymiw
Our most recent visit to our site was around 6:30-7:00 PM, so we were able to experience the site at a different time with a new perspective. Since this was around dusk, the sky grew progressively darker throughout the visit. We began with plenty of light to see well, but by the end of the visit, it was more difficult to maneuver from the creek bed area back up to the parking lot. This different perspective adds yet another layer to the many that we have been exploring at this site. The only light to illuminate the area at all was artificial light on a building by the road above.
This visit was a few days after a lot of rain, so the water was flowing a bit higher and much faster than during previous visits. There were more riffles in the water with the faster movement, too. The water level was definitely even higher in recent days, as evidenced by the appearance of the rocky outcropping from which we have explored. This area is full of puddles and leaves, which would have been transported during a time of higher flow.
The site is currently evolving to develop a new layer. Evidence of renovation efforts is present with the ongoing construction on the old silk mill. A brand new sign stands out by the driveway to the silk mill, which was not there during any previous visit. This sign was brightly illuminated, so it caught my attention when we first drove past. As we left the site, we pulled over to admire and take a closer look. The lights and newly developed section contrasts the older part of the silk mill. In an image with the sign and the ongoing refurbishments, a window with a broken or missing window is visible.
This week we also began to dig into the history of the Simon Silk. Development along the Bushkill began in the late 1700s. By the end of the 20th century, the R&H Simon Silk Company was the largest producer of black silk ribbon in the world. The Easton mill employed 2,000 workers (www.eastonpartnership.org). The Silk Mill opened in 1883 as the first economic development project in Easton and closed in the late 1960s. The Easton Redevelopment Authority obtained the property in 2006 and VM Development was selected to lead the construction project.
The city of Easton is redeveloping the Simon Silk Mill complex “based in the ideals of adaptive reuse and sustainable development” (www.eastonpartnership.org). The Simon Silk space is being converted into “149 apartments, 50,000 square feet of warehouse space, and 100,000 square feet of mixed use development” (Miller). We are eager to find out what this “mixed use development” will entail. According to VM’s website Silk will be a collaborative space for artists. The City is also working with the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor “to design and construct a recreational and heritage trail” to connect downtown Easton to the Simon Silk complex (www.eastonpartnership.org). The current Civil Engineering Capstone class at Lafayette is working to design this connective trail.
To uncover more information about history of the Arts Trail and future development of Simon Silk and this area of the creek, we plan to interview the members of the CE Capstone course and officials of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Professor Brandes provided the names of Dick McAteer (board member of the Greater Easton Development Partnership) and Paul Dearing (key player in the connective trail project) as contacts. Jim Toia (Lafayette’s director of community-based teaching) has been a major contributor to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. We hope to interview these individuals along with everyday users of this section of the trail.
Rudy Miller provided photos of the Silk Mill area/development project on Lehigh Valley Live: http://photos.lehighvalleylive.com/express-times/2015/08/the_easton_intermodal_transpor_15.html