Orefield, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orefield is a small Lehigh County, Pennsylvania town along Pennsylvania Route 309, in the United States. It is located in North Whitehall Township and South Whitehall Township.
The town takes its name from the extensive deposits of limonite (iron ore) once mined here. The Ironton Railroad was extended to Orefield in 1862 to serve these mines, and operated into Orefield until 1955.
Orefield is the former home to Parkland High School. It is a part of the Lehigh Valley and is only a few miles outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is surrounded by many suburban housing developments many of which were former farms operated by the Pennsylvania Dutch whose influence in the community is waning. There are many covered bridges nearby which cross the Jordan Creek.
Located near Orefield is a large factory for Alpo Dog Food, which has been owned by the Ralston Purina Company since the 1990's. Also located nearby are the Jandl turkey farms, which provide the turkey for the White House on many Thanksgivings. Located in Orefield is Shankweiler's, America's oldest Drive-in theater, whose entrance is guarded by two ornamental white lions.
