South Mountain Forest Program Reports, 1957-1964

James M. Francis, a registered consulting forester, was hired by Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1957 to set up a division to handle the timber management of the thousands of acres of woodlands owned by Bethlehem Steel and rehabilitation of the vegetation on South Mountain, Bethlehem, Pa., where the corporation was about to construct its Homer Research Laboratories. Around 1956 Bethlehem Steel acquired 1000 acres of the mountaintop of South Mountain adjacent to Lehigh University between Bethlehem and Hellertown, Pennsylvania on which to build a research center with the idea to concentrate research into one facility. The woodlands covering much of the mountain had the effect of years of heavy, uncontrolled cutting, as well as frequent forest fires. With the establishment of a forestry division, the corporation also began a sawmill to accommodate selective cutting of the mature trees, as well as using untreed corporation lands for tree farms and reclamation of the piles of coal-mine refuse planting experimentally with trees, shrubs and grasses to stabilize the piles against wind and water erosion. Bethlehem Steel wanted to be a good neighbor. Even in the days of Charles M. Schwab, Bethlehem Steel founder, the company was interested in “good housekeeping.” Specifically, the South Mountain Research Center was created to deal with the construction disruption on South Mountain. Following that specific project, Mr. Francis continued to work for Bethlehem Steel’s forestry division establishing reclamation projects for abandoned tailings and coal-mine refuse piles. Specific to the building of the Homer Research Laboratories, by 1957 the site was graded and cleared for test borings for foundations and utilities laid. The first stage of construction was to begin by mid-1958 with the first steel-frame structures completed by early 1959. Occupancy was Fall 1960 for the main office and laboratory, process metallurgy pilot plant, warehouse and shops, boiler house and photographic laboratory. These laboratories overlooked the Bethlehem Steel General Office in south Bethlehem from their position on the mountaintop. Eventually on the demise of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Lehigh University acquired the properties and named Mountaintop Campus.