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is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, 86 miles (138 km) north by west of Philadelphia. In the past, it was the site of silk and lace mills, a meat-packing house, shirt factory, automatic-press works, car shops, stoneworks, foundries, etc. In 1900, 4,629 people lived here; in 1910, 5,316 lived here; and in 1940, 6,615 lived here. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Lehighton is the most populous borough in Carbon County and is the business hub of the county as well.
Lehighton is located in northeast Pennsylvania, on the Lehigh River, north/northwest of Allentown and south of Wilkes-Barre.
Lehighton was built on the site of the German Moravian Brethren's mission station Gnadenhütten (Tents of Grace) which was founded in 1746. The German name was transcribed with
by John Brainerd. This was the site of the first Gnadenhutten Massacre on 24 November 1755, during the French and Indian Wars when 10 missionaries and native converts were slain by native allies of the French. The station was destroyed, only four out of the fifteen persons escaped. Other Christians, both native and German, moved farther West and founded Gnadenhütten, Ohio, which in 1782 was victim of the second, better known Gnadenhutten Massacre committed by American militia from Pennsylvania.
The town was the boyhood home of artist Franz Kline. For many years the Lehigh Valley Railroad was the town's largest employer, with several thousand residents working in the railroad's repair facilities or operating the railroad. The downtown declined after the Carbon Plaza Mall was built in nearby Mahoning Township, but is experiencing a rebirth after three decades.
One of the largest events every August in Lehighton is the "Bike Night" featuring 28,000 plus motorcycles.
In late September through October the Country Junction store hosts The Great Pocono Pumpkin Festival which features hayrides, haunted woods, and mazes.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.22%) is water. Lehighton is located south of Jim Thorpe and northwest of Palmerton. Lehighton's elevation is 650 ft (198.6 m)
Lehighton is primarily very green and hilly, but surrounding the town itself and enveloping its outlying communities is the Appalachian Mountains.