Air Quality Testing in Northampton, PA

Northampton and surrounding areas of the Lehigh Valley are rich in limestone, which is commonly used in the production of cement. The Atlas Portland Cement Company, based here from 1895 to 1982, was the world’s largest cement company at one time, and one of dozens in the area. It produced some 8 million barrels of cement for construction of the Panama Canal, most of what was used on the project. Atlas was bought by another company in 1980 and ceased operation here in 1982; its last smokestack here was demolished in 1993. Today technology and automation mean that the cement industry can manufacture a great amount of product with 150-200 workers, rather than the thousands who worked in these plants earlier in the 20th century.

The Atlas Memorial Cement Museum, which was opened in 1997 here, was founded by Edward Pany, who worked at the company in summers during the 1950s. His father, an immigrant from Austria, worked all his life at Atlas. Immigrant workers from Poland, Ukraine, and other eastern European nations also worked here. The museum commemorates the importance of this industry and Atlas Cement in the area.