PRINTER'S NO. 3256
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
797
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY DIAMOND, CALTAGIRONE, DALEY, DiGIROLAMO, DUSH,
HICKERNELL, IRVIN, KINSEY, MILLARD, MURT, NEILSON, READSHAW,
RYAN, SCHWEYER, SONNEY, WARD, YOUNGBLOOD AND CONKLIN,
APRIL 6, 2018
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 6, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Borough of Myerstown.
WHEREAS, The original name of Myerstown as it appeared on
historical maps was Tulpehocken Town; and
WHEREAS, In 1768, Isaac Meier laid out the streets of the
town on his farmland north of his homestead, which still exists
on South College Street in Myerstown; and
WHEREAS, While dining at the former Buch Tavern at 40 West
Main Avenue in Myerstown, Isaac Meier was mortally shot through
the window on July 14, 1770, and succumbed to the wound the
following day at his homestead at 524 South College Street in
Myerstown; and
WHEREAS, After his death, William Penn's grandson, the
Honorable John Penn, Esq., the Lieutenant Governor and Commander
in Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania, offered a reward of
one hundred pounds for the capture and prosecution of the
murderer; and
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WHEREAS, After Isaac Meier's death, the local citizenry began
referring to the area as Meier-Town and later Myerstown; and
WHEREAS, Myerstown was in Lebanon Township, Lancaster County,
until 1785 when Dauphin County was created; and
WHEREAS, At that time, it was redesignated Heidelberg
Township; and
WHEREAS, In 1813, Myerstown became part of Lebanon County,
which was formed from Dauphin County; and
WHEREAS, In 1813, the northern part of Heidelberg Township
was designated Jackson Township, which now surrounds Myerstown
on all sides; and
WHEREAS, The original Native American path that has become
known as Main Avenue in Myerstown was developed into the Berks
and Dauphin Turnpike which was completed in 1817 as a toll road
of 53 miles from Harrisburg to Reading; and
WHEREAS, The Union Canal ran through the southern part of
Myerstown, opening in 1828; and
WHEREAS, President George Washington passed through Myerstown
inspecting the construction of the locks on the original canal
on October 2, 1793; and
WHEREAS, The Union Canal helped Myerstown to flourish, and
many factories, hotels and stores were opened in its vicinity;
and
WHEREAS, In the 1850s, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
constructed rail lines along the southern border of Myerstown,
which brought additional prosperity to the borough; and
WHEREAS, On February 5, 1912, one square mile of land in
Jackson Township was officially incorporated into the Borough of
Myerstown; and
WHEREAS, Today, Myerstown's rich history and friendly
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residents make the borough a quintessential Pennsylvania small
town; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the
250th anniversary of the Borough of Myerstown.
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