PRINTER'S NO. 1342
No. 189 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY ERICKSON, DECEMBER 19, 2003
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, DECEMBER 19, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Congratulating the Township of Easttown, Chester County, on the
2 300th anniversary of its founding in 1704 and recognizing its
3 historical significance to this Commonwealth.
4 WHEREAS, Shortly after the counties of Chester, Philadelphia
5 and Bucks were delineated in 1682 within William Penn's
6 chartered province, an 8.2-square-mile area of rolling hills in
7 the extreme eastern portion of Chester County became Easttown
8 Township in 1704; and
9 WHEREAS, Easttown Township was actively involved in the
10 Revolutionary War, and one of its natives, General Anthony
11 Wayne, commanded American forces and defeated the British in the
12 Tarleton skirmish of 1777 at Signal Hill, located near the
13 present intersection of Newtown and Sugartown Roads in the
14 township; and
15 WHEREAS, The construction of the first paved highway in the
16 United States in 1790 and the advent of the Pennsylvania
17 Railroad both contributed to the development of Easttown
18 Township as a summer vacation spot for Philadelphians; and
1 WHEREAS, By the early 1900s, Easttown Township was a thickly
2 settled farming district which included some fine country
3 estates of wealthy Philadelphians who used the train on the
4 socially renowned Main Line to commute to their city businesses;
5 and
6 WHEREAS, In the 1990s these estates began to disappear as
7 land was subdivided for housing development, and the area's easy
8 transportational access to Philadelphia, its recreational,
9 cultural and athletic facilities and programs and its historic
10 landmarks have made Easttown Township an enviable address; and
11 WHEREAS, A second class township, so categorized under
12 Pennsylvania law based on population, the township is home of
13 the largest-by-membership YMCA in the country and hosts the
14 world-famous Devon Horse Show each Memorial Day weekend; and
15 WHEREAS, Inhabited by a socially and politically committed
16 citizenry, the township has an excellent Library Board, Parks
17 and Recreation Board, Planning Commission, Zoning Hearing Board
18 and Municipal Authority; and
19 WHEREAS, In addition, Easttown Township is served 24 hours a
20 day by an outstanding township police department, public works
21 department, two volunteer fire companies, the Berwyn and the
22 Paoli, and a township manager, solicitor and board of
23 supervisors; therefore be it
24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
25 historical significance of Easttown Township to this
26 Commonwealth; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives congratulate
28 Easttown Township on its 300th anniversary in 2004.
L18L82JAM/20030S0189R1342 - 2 -