Lehigh County
Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
LEHIGH COUNTY // Formed March 6, 1812 / from part of Northhamp- / ton County and named / for the Lehigh River. / Home of George Taylor, / signer of Declaration of / Independence. County /
The Story
This marker stands in the seat of a Pennsylvania county carved out of older Northampton County in 1812, in the busy early years of the young republic when growing populations pushed the state to subdivide its sprawling colonial-era counties into more governable pieces. The county took its name from the Lehigh River, the waterway that shaped settlement and, before long, the anthracite and iron trade of the Lehigh Valley. It also claims a Revolutionary pedigree as the home of George Taylor, one of Pennsylvania's signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Why it matters
It ties an everyday act of frontier-era governance — drawing a new county on the map — to the founding generation, reminding travelers that the men who signed the Declaration lived and are remembered in ordinary American places. The Lehigh Valley it names would go on to become one of the engines of American industry.
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Related people
- · George Taylor
Related events
- · Formation of Lehigh County (1812)
- · Signing of the Declaration of Independence
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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