Pennsylvania's first silk mill opened in Scranton in 1873, and the Lehigh Valley's first, the Adelade Silk Mill in Allentown, opened in 1881. Other prominent operations included the Bethlehem Silk Mill, the R&H Simon Silk Mill in Easton, the Dery Silk Mill in Catasauqua, the Macungie Silk Company, the Diehl Silk Mill in Bath, and the Lehigh Valley Silk Mills in Fountain Hill. At one time, Pennsylvania had more than 300 silk mills and the Lehigh Valley had approximately 75. At its height in 1920, the silk industry became the largest employer in the state, and one out of every 3 silk workers in the United States was from Pennsylvania. Production flattened throughout the 1920s as overseas silk products and less costly synthetic products infiltrated the marketplace. The Catoir Silk Company, owner of the last operating silk mill in the Lehigh Valley, closed in 1989. Over the last several decades, many old mill complexes have been creatively redeveloped for new uses while preserving their unique architectural and industrial heritage, and in 2006 the Easton Redevelopment Authority acquired the former R&H Simon Silk Mill to help spur its redevelopment and reuse.
