Saucon Valley Conservancy

Hellertown-Lower Saucon Heritage Day 2027 is Coming, and the Michael and Margaret Heller Homestead Welcomes Your Visit

A recent new release on Channel 69 News invited descendants of the Johann Christopher Heller to come to the Heller-Wagner Grist Mill in Hellertown, PA on May 15, 2027, as part of the Lower Saucon/Hellertown annual Heritage Day event. The Grist Mill and its historic outbuildings were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, and the site includes many interesting displays and exhibits on the history of Hellertown and the surrounding area. 

According to Lower Saucon Township Historian, Mark Connar, the Hellers arrived in the area in the early 1740s, emigrants from Germany. The family patriarch, Johann Christopher, had an extensive farm near Seidersville, where Route 378 and Interstate 78 cross, in Lower Saucon Township. Subsequently, his sons acquired property throughout Saucon Valley. The earliest map that Connar has found indicating the Heller’s presence was made by the Bethlehem Moravian community and likely dates to the late 1750s or early 1760s. The map labels the area near today’s Hellertown as “Hellers Land”. Connar says, “I think the Moravians with this map are indicating that the Heller family was plentiful and prosperous in this part of Northampton County”. Simon Heller built his Grist Mill in 1761, before transferring the mill to the Wagner family about a decade later, and on adjoining land his brother, Michael Heller, built his dwelling, farm and mill which he named Hellerton. This expansive farm extended from the western side of Saucon Creek to what is today Main Street in Hellertown then known as the King’s Highway (and Minsi Trail by the native population before the arrival of European settlers). This estate was in the possession of the Heller family from 1751 through the first quarter of the 19th century.

There are two venues which are part of Heritage Day. In addition to the Grist Mill, Heritage Day attendees are invited to visit the Michael and Margaret Heller Homestead. The Heller Homestead is just one stop from the Grist Mill on the Saucon Rail Trail (a 10-minute walk), and, for Heritage Day, shuttle buses will provide direct transportation between the two venues. “2027 is an important milestone year in the history of the Heller Homestead. 250 years ago, Michael and Margaret Heller marshalled the local community to make the first delivery of critical supplies from the Saucon Valley area to George Washington’s troops wintering at Valley Forge”, says Roger Jurczak, President of Saucon Valley Conservancy, the nonprofit group which oversees the Heller Homestead. In honor of this historic event, a period wagon will be onsite during Heritage Day to accept donations for community food banks. 

The Heller Homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a living history museum. Each room of the house is decorated to show how a prosperous farming family lived in the area from the 18thcentury through to the middle part of the 20th. The property also includes a secondary house built in the 1850s, a root cellar and the ruins of a large 18th century barn which the Lower Saucon Township plans to stabilize so that a larger event space can be put into service.  

For Heritage Day 2027, many exciting events and activities are being planned for the Heller Homestead. “If you are a member of the Heller family, a visit to the Homestead can’t be missed”, says Jurczak, as some very special activities are being planned. “If you are not a Heller descendant but just interested in the history and culture of the Saucon Valley region, we will also make your visit equally memorable with plenty of food, drink, music, interesting exhibits and fun. More to follow, as we build out our plans.”