For most Americans, it seems that history goes back only about 235 years – to our own Revolutionary War. Sure, we all learned about the Pilgrims and Puritans and William Penn in school, but the real scope of history seems to escape us, as a nation. That’s why I am sure many people will be shocked to learn that Eastern Pennsylvania has been inhabited by humans for more than 12,000 years.

The authentic Lenni Lenape "wikewam" exhibit was created with the help from members of the Lenni Lenape Cutural Center in Bucks County.

That’s one of the first things you learn when you enter the new Sigal Museum in Easton. A product of the Northampton Historical and Genealogical Society, the museum on Northampton Street takes its history seriously. The first exhibit visitors see is a diorama of Lenni Lenape life in the region before the white man came, from the bark huts called “wikewams” to various authentic artifacts and crafts of the earliest Americans

The Sigal Museum –named for the former Easton department store that once occupied the space – opened Aug. 14. The society itself dates to 1906, but the dream of the museum began in 2004 when it acquired the Sigal building just a half-block north of the Crayola Factory on Center Square.

“We were supposed to have the Northampton County archives, but county officials changed their minds,” said longtime volunteer and newsletter publisher Linda Heindel, adding that the change delayed construction of the museum for a year or so. But even without the archives, the three-story museum holds a wealth of Northampton County history – much of it donated or lent by area residents who have held on to their heritage with great pride.

For instance, the Lenni Lenape exhibit includes many authentic artifacts kept and treasured by Lenni Lenape descendents through the centuries. Museum exhibits don’t hedge on the conflicts between the Indians and the white settlers in the 18th Century. Videos show re-enactors depicting the trials of the Indians who were forced out of their homes as well those of white settlers hunted and hounded during what became known as the French and Indian Wars.

An authentic 18th Century indenture donated by auto dealer Andy Daub features a treaty that turned over the last of New Jersey to white settlers. Look in the bottom right corner on the back side to see the actual wax thumb prints of Lenni Lenape leaders who “signed” the agreement. The treaty was actually one of several signed in the Easton area that helped end the French and Indian Wars.

A walk through the museum reveals the rich and eclectic history of the county that gave the world Bethlehem Steel and Dixie Cups, Martin Guitars and marshmallow peeps. Founded in 1752 when Northampton was split away from Bucks County (it originally included what is now Lehigh County), the county was intrinsic in the controversial “Walking Purchase” of 1737 and Easton was one of three towns where the Declaration of Independence was first read to the public.

Martin Guitars are just one of the products that has brought international fame to Nazareth and Northampton County.

Exhibits detail life and industry through the almost three centuries, from the Lenni Lenape homes to a traditional 19th Century German home to life along the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The involvement of county residents in our nation’s wars are proudly displayed, as are the portraits of long-ago residents and leaders such as Christian Bixler, the clockmaker who founded the jewelry store that up until only a year or so ago was owned and operated by his descendents.

“I’m impressed,” said Donna Shively of Easton’s College Hill neighborhood, making her first visit to the Sigal with her husband, Bob. “I wasn’t expecting quite so much.”

Bob Shively marveled at how the historic photos and documents were preserved through the decades and centuries.

“It’s nice to have something like this here,” he said, referring to downtown Easton. “The city is really coming back.”

If You Go: The Sigal Museum at 342 Northampton Street is open 9:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 are free. Parking is available at the Pine Street parking deck behind the museum.

What To Know: The Sigal Museum is only a half block from the Crayola Factory and National Canal Museum and Easton’s burgeoning restaurant scene offers something for every budget.

Facts: Check out the Lenni Lenape crafts just inside the main exhibit hall and look for the intentional imperfections. Lenni Lenape – known to other Indians in the area as “the original people” or “the Grandfather Tribe” because of their long history in the region – strongly believed that only the Creator is perfect so each of their crafts have at least one imperfection. It was also a way that descendents identified themselves to each other.