PRINTER'S NO. 499 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RESOLUTION No.54 Session of 2025 INTRODUCED BY KAZEEM, VITALI, SANCHEZ, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS, HADDOCK, HOHENSTEIN, KHAN, CIRESI, FREEMAN, DELLOSO, KENYATTA, O'MARA, ZIMMERMAN AND GREEN, FEBRUARY 5, 2025 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FEBRUARY 5, 2025 A RESOLUTION Designating the month of October 2025 as "William Penn Landing Site in Chester Month" in Pennsylvania. WHEREAS, William Penn, son of Admiral Sir William Penn, was born in London on October 14, 1644; and WHEREAS, William Penn shocked his contemporaries by converting to the beliefs of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, which was then a persecuted sect; and WHEREAS, William Penn used his wealth and status to benefit and protect his fellow believers; and WHEREAS, King Charles II owed William Penn £16,000, which was money his late father lent to the king; and WHEREAS, William Penn requested that the debt be settled with land in the New World to provide a safe haven for his fellow Quakers; and WHEREAS, William Penn requested land between Lord Baltimore's province of Maryland and the Duke of York's province of New York; and 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WHEREAS, With the Duke's support, Penn's petition was granted; and WHEREAS, King Charles II signed the Charter of Pennsylvania on March 4, 1681, and it was officially proclaimed on April 2; and WHEREAS, The colony was named in honor of William Penn's father; and WHEREAS, The colony included lands between the 39th and 42nd degrees of north latitude and from the Delaware River westward for five degrees of longitude; and WHEREAS, The Duke of York also deeded to Penn his claim to what is now the state of Delaware; and WHEREAS, William Penn set sail for Pennsylvania on a ship called the Welcome; and WHEREAS, After 57 days, the Welcome arrived in New Castle, Delaware; and WHEREAS, However, William Penn did not disembark until he docked in Chester, Pennsylvania, on what is believed to be October 29, 1682; and WHEREAS, William Penn marveled at the place and found the land good and the air serene; and WHEREAS, William Penn renamed the area, which was called Upland by Swedish settlers, Chester after the city in Cheshire County, England; and WHEREAS, Chester became Pennsylvania's first incorporated municipality and William Penn had grand visions for the area; and WHEREAS, William Penn summoned the settlement's largest landowner, James Sandelands, to negotiate a deal to establish Chester as the capital of Pennsylvania; and 20250HR0054PN0499 - 2 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 WHEREAS, William Penn and James Sandelands were unable to reach a deal and William Penn looked elsewhere and eventually founded Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, Chester continues to celebrate the anniversary of William Penn's landing but its unique place in this Commonwealth's history has been neglected and overlooked; therefore be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the month of October 2025 as "William Penn Landing Site in Chester Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it further RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate this significant event and recognize Chester's unique place in this Commonwealth's history. 20250HR0054PN0499 - 3 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13