Passions are sometimes ignited by pleasant memories and past experiences.

For Christy Haydt it was the Slatington centennial in 1964.Haydt, who was then 11, remembers how animated and excited everyone in the town seemed to be that year, including his conservative father who grew sideburns just for the event. People paraded in period costumes and 1864 came alive once again.Living through that experience cultivated an interest in the history of Slatington. Haydt's interest in the many old, but grand houses (some mansions) developed when a young relative was diagnosed with leukemia and Haydt organized bus tours of the homes in Slatington as a fundraiser. The tours were so popular, one sold out in 20 minutes.Haydt begins his tour at the very place where it all started, "at the base of the Slatington Bridge where the Kerns lived."The Kerns owned 500 acres in Slatington. Nicholas Kern and his family built the first structure in Slatington. The old Kern home today is a large stone structure, but the original home, made of logs and built around 1741, stood on the northeast corner of Main and Diamond streets. The oldest structure in Slatington today is the Kern barn on Diamond Street that proudly displays a date of 1807.Many of the Slatington homes were owned by millionaires and slept in by people such as Max Hess, who owned one of the greatest stores in Allentown. Some have two stairways, one for the help and one for the family.Other homes carry a history of tragedy and sad stories. There are also houses where the history is so confusing, even Haydt can't get it straight.The first story belongs to Lucy and Stephen Hunsicker who built their dream home at 21 Willow Ave. They worked together ensuring every specification was met, including a dumbwaiter that served the first floor and the basement.The Hunsickers were ready to move in when Stephen died. His wife was so devastated she could not bear the thought of living there without him. So, she built an identical house at 7355 Main Street in Slatington. She rented the Willow street home to a couple who eventually bought it.The Mantz home on Second Street is also a story that is associated with a tragedy. George Moyer lived in the house with his wife and also had his barber shop in the home. His wife was struck by lightning while hanging up wash on the metal-wired wash lines. Moyer was so stricken with grief he could no longer live or work in the house and sold the home.In the early 1900s, Lewis (Lewy) Souerwine opened a garage on Main Street. He used the first floor for storing the automobiles until it was time to work on them. He then transferred them to the second floor with an elevator lift (that remains in the building today).Lewy was an excellent businessman who made his money not only from his work, but from his ingenuity. Having the automobiles stored on the second floor also ensured payment, since it was impossible to get your car back without the help of Souerwine.Although the garage and Souerwine's first home still remain on Main Street, he built several homes throughout his lifetime for his wife, Minerva, also known as Nollie. One of the Souerwine homes had a tunnel that went from the house to the garage. Lewy and Nollie finally settled in a home on Main Street.The most confusing and difficult personal histories to trace is the one about the Heintzelman family. There were two Heintzelman families in the area. Both families were headed by Daniels who were both undertakers and casket makers. Both also had large families whose children became undertakers and casket makers.They all operated their businesses in the general area. The only thing anyone can be sure of is that one Heintzelman owned the house, followed by other Heintzelman owners. And most of them were named Daniel.And then there is the haunted house.Well over 100 years ago, at the bottom of Gap Street, a home existed that was said to be haunted. The owners never questioned it, but an aunt of the owner did.She was so determined to prove that this house was not haunted that when she visited she insisted on sleeping in the very bedroom that was supposedly occupied by the ghost. When she went to bed she locked the door behind her. During the night, the entire house was awakened to her screaming.She was so terrified that she would not get out of bed to unlock the door. The door had to be broken down. She said there was someone rocking in the rocking chair and a dog was barking.Neither dog nor rocker was seen by her rescuers.Haydt is a valuable source of information on many of the homes in Slatington. His friendly enthusiasm comes across again and again.'"You can't know where you're going until you know where you've been," he says.If that's true, then Haydt clearly knows where he's going. His heart and soul are connected to the town of Slatington, where he grew up, and where he and his brother own Galio's, a Grocery Store and Beverage Distributor on Walnut Street.