When we look at the communities around Bethlehem, we usually think of places that stayed separate—at least in spirit. But there’s a former village just west of town that many people don’t realize ever was a village.
It was called Rittersville—and if you’ve done genealogy in eastern Pennsylvania, you’ve probably bumped into the name.
A hundred years ago, annexation rules were looser than today. Growing cities expanded by absorbing small towns on their edges. And Rittersville—sitting between Bethlehem and Allentown—was right in the path of progress.
