Samuel Wetherill (1821-1890)
Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Chemist, industrialist, inventor, & Civil War officer. In 1852 he developed a process for extracting white zinc oxide directly from zinc ore. In 1853 he founded the Lehigh Zinc Co., with a plant here, pioneering the manufacture of zinc spelter and zinc sheet.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
A chemist and inventor as well as a Civil War officer, Samuel Wetherill devised a process in 1852 for extracting white zinc oxide straight from zinc ore. The next year he founded the Lehigh Zinc Company, whose plant stood here, pioneering the American manufacture of zinc spelter and rolled zinc sheet. His work helped make the Lehigh Valley an early powerhouse of the country's metals industry.
Why it matters
Wetherill's innovations planted a new branch of American industrial chemistry, turning Pennsylvania ore into the zinc that fed a rapidly industrializing nation.
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Related people
- · Samuel Wetherill
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