PRINTER'S NO. 3876
No. 736 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY GOODMAN, ALLEN, ARGALL, ARMSTRONG, BAKER, BALDWIN,
BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES, BELFANTI, BIANCUCCI, BISHOP, BUNT,
CAPPELLI, CAUSER, CORRIGAN, COSTA, COY, CREIGHTON, CRUZ,
DENLINGER, DeWEESE, DiGIROLAMO, EACHUS, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD,
FICHTER, FLEAGLE, FORCIER, GEIST, GEORGE, GILLESPIE,
GINGRICH, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HORSEY, JAMES,
KOTIK, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, LESCOVITZ, LYNCH, MANN, MARKOSEK,
McCALL, McGILL, MUNDY, NAILOR, PALLONE, PAYNE, PICKETT,
PISTELLA, READSHAW, ROBERTS, ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO,
SATHER, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SHANER, B. SMITH, SURRA, TIGUE,
WALKO, WASHINGTON, WATERS, WHEATLEY, WOJNAROSKI AND
YOUNGBLOOD, MAY 24, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 24, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Congratulating the Borough of Palo Alto, Schuylkill County,
2 Pennsylvania, on the 150th anniversary of its founding.
3 WHEREAS, In the fall and winter of 1844-1845, John G. Hewes
4 laid out the village now known as Palo Alto; and
5 WHEREAS, The land was formerly the property of Benjamin
6 Richards and William H. Warden of Philadelphia; and
7 WHEREAS, The village extends along the base of the Sharp
8 Mountain on the south side and the Schuylkill River on the north
9 side for a distance of about two miles; and
10 WHEREAS, During the Mexican War, one of the important battles
11 was won by General Zachary Taylor over the Mexican General
12 Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at Palo Alto in the disputed
1 territory between the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers; and
2 WHEREAS, It seemed fitting that the new town should be named
3 Palo Alto, meaning "tall mountains"; and
4 WHEREAS, In 1854 the borough was incorporated and Walter S.
5 Chilson was elected first chief burgess and William M.
6 Stillwagon first secretary; and
7 WHEREAS, At the time of Palo Alto's incorporation, an
8 extensive rolling mill was established by William Harris near
9 the present site of the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company
10 building; and
11 WHEREAS, In 1863 Benjamin Haywood, who had become the owner
12 of the mill, built another, and the mills were combined and
13 known as the Palo Alto Rolling Mills; and
14 WHEREAS, Benjamin Haywood operated the mills until his death
15 in 1879 for the benevolent purpose of giving employment to men;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, Palo Alto grew rapidly and soon became a busy
18 industrial community; and
19 WHEREAS, The impetus of its rapid growth was its location at
20 the northern terminus of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
21 and the Schuylkill Navigation Canal; and
22 WHEREAS, Palo Alto is celebrating its sesquicentennial in
23 2004; therefore be it
24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives congratulate the
25 Borough of Palo Alto on the 150th anniversary of its founding.
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