I grew up at 621 N. Jordan Street in Allentown. This street (9 city blocks), extends from Turner Street to Whitehall Street. It lies between Jute Street and Fourth Street on the western slope of the Jordan Creek Valley. It consists of brick 2 or 3 story row houses, built in the early 1900’s. My grandfather Alois Sorger (Rosenberg-Güssing) and two friends (Mankos brothers from Szombathely) in 1907 built four homes for them and their descendants for over seventy years.

The neighborhood had many immigrants from the Burgenland. Some of our neighbors were Kozell, Weber, Mankos, Sorger, Haas, Reichl and Mirth. There were Textile Mills nearby. Hyder and Biery were butchers. Oberecker baker delivered bread. Berghold & Eder brought coal.

The street was tree lined (horse chestnuts and maples) with trolley tracks in the middle, serving the Seventh Street Loop which came south on Jordan and then turned west at Gordon Street going „down town".

Before the mills were built, the eastern view included the Jordan Creek Valley from the Ukrainian Church to Horlacher’s Brewery. The valley contained the main lines of the Lehigh Valley and Reading Railroads. Between the Creek and the Lehigh River were Allentown’s ethnic neighborhoods with spillover east and west.

The Jordan area alone was like a village (it could have been called „Jordansdorf") with ethnic taverns (6), clubs (3), butcher shops (6), stores (5) and bakeries (2) in the immediate area. Two groceries at 4th & Allen.

Two churches, Catholic Sacred Heart of Jesus and Dubbs Memorial Reformed. Many Burgenland Lutherans attended St. Peters Lutheran on Ridge Avenue. There was a cigar factory (White Owl) at 4th & Green. The Allen Public School was at 4th & Allen. Other schools (including Allentown Central Catholic High School) and churches were within walking distance.

Except for not having a Gemeindeamt, and the many city amenities and lack of agriculture, it was very close to being a Burgenland community, at least in spirit. The streets and shops resounded with south Burgenland German. Today, most of the Burgenländers are gone and the area is now depressed and home to Hispanic immigrants.

Edited by G. Berghold <GBerghold@aol.com>