Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Lenape people. Its first name was Schuckenhausen, the name of the first church in this location constructed as a log building. In 1872, it was replaced by a stone church known as the Union Church, later becoming a dwelling. The oldest building is the Pleasant Valley Inn, now out of business. General Lafayette stopped at the inn on the way to a hospital in Bethlehem after being wounded in the Battle of Brandywine. The village was built upon two farms, one owned by Jacob Smith and the other John J. Ott. the name was changed to Pleasant Valley when the post office was established on September 15, 1828, by Lewis Ott, first postmaster.[1]
Pleasant Valley is located on Quakertown Road, also known as Pennsylvania Route 212, at coordinates 40°31′16″N75°17′34″W / 40.52111°N 75.29278°W / 40.52111; -75.29278, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Richlandtown. Coopersburg is located 5 miles (8.0 km) to the west. Its elevation is listed as 472 feet (144 m). Pleasant Valley is located between three nearby summits, Cressman Hill 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the southeast (elevation 673 feet (205 m)), Molasses Hill 1.25 miles (2.01 km) to the east (elevation 495 feet (151 m)) and The Lookout 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west (elevation 906 feet (276 m). Cooks Creek, part of the Delaware Riverwatershed, passes just south of the community.[3][2]
