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Sept 28. 1975 Sun. Bethlehem Pa.

Arrived here yesterday afternoon, found the YMCA easily, *Bethlehem has a population of 72,886 spread over 19.5 square miles, with 24,139 dwelling units of which 62% are owned by the occupant. The first thing you notice is there are no crossed-bars covering the store windows. In New York City (in the last 10 years) almost every store is barred on closing. The streets in Bethlehem are clean, the children look healthy, the homes are well kept. Of course the center city is ringed with those endless lookalike ranch houses and ubiquitous shopping centers. In a wide gully in the center of town along the Lehigh river ranges the Bethlehem Steel Corporation who ([illegible]) dominates the city. In wandering in South Bethlehem which is hilly and composed of Lehigh University and workers houses I came upon unkempt cemetery overlooking a sloping hill with rows of working class houses and in the background the stacks of the steel mill. Tall crosses are outlined against this social background. It was the most logical place I had found, in walking around for three hours, from which to photograph. I start to photograph and suddenly it dawns on me that its been done before. Walker Evans photographed here in the late thirties and the photograph is in American Photographs. He got there first.

I also discover the Leica I am using is out of focus. Just after I have had them all checked and probably many of the pictures if not all will be out focus. a whole afternoons work down the drain.

[note along side of page, referring to the asterisk at the top of the page] *courtesy of the chamber of commerce map