Robert H. Sayre
Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The engineer and philanthropist lived here. Directed construction, Lehigh Valley Railroad. A founder, Bethlehem Iron Co. Benefactor to St. Luke's Hospital, Church of the Nativity, and Bishopthorpe Girls School. Charter trustee, Lehigh University.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the decades after the Civil War, Bethlehem was reshaped by the twin engines of railroading and iron, and Robert H. Sayre stood at the center of both. As the driving force behind construction of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and a founder of the Bethlehem Iron Company, he helped turn the Lehigh Valley into one of the industrial powerhouses of Gilded Age America. His wealth flowed back into the community through a hospital, a church, a girls' school, and the young Lehigh University he helped charter.
Why it matters
Sayre embodies the entwined rise of American railroads and heavy industry, and the era's tradition of the industrialist-philanthropist whose fortune underwrote the region's civic and educational institutions.
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Related people
- · Robert H. Sayre
Related events
- · Construction of the Lehigh Valley Railroad
- · Founding of Bethlehem Iron Company
Themes & tags
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