PRINTER'S NO. 532 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RESOLUTION No.61 Session of 2025 INTRODUCED BY MERSKI, BIZZARRO, HARKINS, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS, BURGOS, VITALI, KAZEEM, SANCHEZ, D. WILLIAMS, NEILSON, O'MARA AND GREEN, FEBRUARY 10, 2025 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FEBRUARY 10, 2025 A RESOLUTION Designating April 18, 2025, 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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Street; and 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, 2025, as "Erie Day" in Pennsylvania. 20250HR0061PN0532 - 2 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19