Members of the Palmerton Borough Council and the mayor welcomed the donation of a large portrait of Stephen Squires Palmer this month.

The portrait was part of a collection of materials owned by the late Warren Siegmond. His wife, Jeannine Siegmond, donated the portrait to the borough in memory of her late husband. Members of the Palmerton Area Historical Society made the presentation on her behalf.Siegmond had suggested that the portrait be displayed in the council chambers as a tribute to the town's namesake and founder, said Jane Borbe, president of the Palmerton Area Historical Society."Warren dedicated many years of exhaustive research to the genealogy of Mr. Palmer and his family," Borbe said. "We are proud of our heritage and this reinforces the vision of the man who outlined it for us."Born in 1853 in New York City, Palmer grew up there, attended Princeton University in New Jersey and became president of the New Jersey Zinc and Iron Co. in 1892.He was instrumental in the merging of several zinc companies to form the New Jersey Zinc Co. in 1897. As the company expanded in the present-day borough of Palmerton, Palmer saw the need for a well-thought-out town."He designed the town," Borbe said. "He gave us this wide main street that everyone loves."Although Palmer never actually lived in the borough, he commissioned to have St. John's Episcopal Church on Lafayette Avenue built as a memorial to his late wife. The church includes two Tiffany windows, Borbe said.It's quite a gift to have a photo of Stephen S. Palmer. They're rare.Bill Smelas, vice president of the Palmerton Area Historical Society, said, "It's difficult to get a photo of him. He was only 5 feet 2 inches, so he avoided getting his picture taken."When he did have to have his picture taken, Palmer would stand on the knoll of a hill behind other people, so his height was evident in the pictures, he said."At the same time, he was a very generous man," Smelas said.In addition to building the church for use of 3,000 workmen and their families, Palmer also donated $500,000 to Princeton in 1910 to build a laboratory, according his obituary in a New York City newspaper in January 1913.By the time of his death, Palmer had been an official in 38 mineral, railroad and banking companies.Palmerton Borough Mayor Christopher Olivia said, "On behalf of the borough, we'd like to thank Mrs. Siegmond for the wonderful picture of Stephen S. Palmer."We are honored that she donated this to us. There are not too many boroughs in the state that can say they have a picture of their founder in the hall."