Joseph Obert Packing Co.

In Lehighton, a 19th-century story of resilience and entrepreneurship highlights the American dream. Joseph Obert, a young man from a small town, left his home at age 20 in 1841 to seek new opportunities in America.

When he arrived, Joseph began his career as a cabinet maker, creating beautiful furniture that showcased his skill and hard work. But he didn't stop there. Ambitious and driven, he moved into farming and later opened a grocery and dry goods store.

As his business ventures grew, Joseph founded one of the region’s largest slaughterhouses in 1867, focusing on processing pigs. The Obert Packing Co. quickly became a major part of Lehighton's economy. Each week, railroad cars filled with hogs from places like Buffalo, Chicago, and St. Louis arrived in town, bringing pork products that were shipped all over the region.

The pigs were brought to the "flats," near the Lehigh Valley Railroad station, where they were held in pens until they were processed into popular pork products like ham, sausage, and bacon. The Obert Packing Co. became a key industry in the town, and the hustle and bustle around the slaughterhouse was a familiar sight.

However, in 1875, disaster struck when a fire destroyed the entire slaughterhouse. But Joseph wasn’t one to give up. He rebuilt the business, this time with a massive, four-story brick building that became a symbol of his determination. The new facility was unlike any other in the region, setting a new standard for success.

When Joseph passed away in 1896, his five children took over the business, continuing the family legacy. The packing house employed around 30 people, processing all parts of the hog, with nothing wasted. Parts that weren’t used in food production were turned into fertilizer, and even the bristles were sold to brush manufacturers.

In 1897, tragedy struck again when Joseph’s wife, Catherine, passed away. Despite this, their five children—John, Charles, William, Franklin, and Emma—kept the family business running for many years, upholding their father's dream.

But in 1937, the plant closed for good, and two years later, the meat market on S. 1st Street shut down as well. After World War II, the town purchased the packing plant and tore down the old building, replacing it with a parking lot. Today, many people park in that lot without realizing it sits on the site where Carbon County's largest meatpacking industry once thrived.