PRINTER'S NO. 2918
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
385
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MERSKI, BIZZARRO, HARKINS, KINSEY, KHAN, HILL-
EVANS, GIRAL, CONKLIN AND D. WILLIAMS, APRIL 10, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 10, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating April 18, 2024, as "Erie Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, On April 18, 1795, an act passed by the General
Assembly authorized the surveying of land near Presque Isle on
the southeastern shore of Lake Erie to plan what would later
become the City of Erie and resolve the boundary between
Pennsylvania and New York; and
WHEREAS, William Irvine and Andrew Ellicott, the State
Commissioners appointed to lay out Erie, arrived in June 1795,
accompanied by a corps of surveyors and escorted by a company of
State troops; and
WHEREAS, Erie was laid out in three sections, each about one
square mile, and extending from the bay south to 12th Street;
and
WHEREAS, The first section ran from Parade Street to Chestnut
Street, the second section from Chestnut Street to Cranberry
Street and the third section from Cranberry Street to West
Street; and
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WHEREAS, The outlots extended south to 26th Street, east to
East Avenue, west to the western boundary of the almshouse farm,
and north to the bay of Presque Isle; and
WHEREAS, On March 29, 1805, Erie was first established as a
borough by act of the General Assembly which created a borough
and town council headed by a burgess; and
WHEREAS, The burgess form of government remained until April
14, 1851, when the City of Erie was incorporated, establishing
the office of mayor and select council; and
WHEREAS, The City of Erie was named for the Native American
Erie people who lived in the area until the mid-17th century;
and
WHEREAS, The 2020 census shows Erie as the fifth most
populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in
northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831; therefore
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April
18, 2024, as "Erie Day" in Pennsylvania.
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