MARKER TEXT: Founded 1681 by William Penn as a Quaker commonwealth. Birthplace of THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE and THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
QUOTE: “In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When, in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the Causes which impel them to the Separation. “ FROM The Declaration of Independence.
One of more than 20 identical markers placed on major highways at the state borders commemorating three historical highlights of Pennsylvania. This sign is located on the eastbound lane of US 20 about 750 feet east from the Ohio border. There is no spot for parking at the marker, although the shoulder is wide enough to pull off the road. Visitors should exercise caution.
WILLIAM PENN
William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681. King Charles granted Penn 45,000 square miles of territory in North America for a debt owed to Penn’s father. The new colony was a haven for Quakers who experienced severe religious persecution in England. The framework of government that Penn created for Pennsylvania included tolerance for all religions and it bestowed to all citizens of the colony the rights of Englishmen.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the site of the First and Second Continental Congress sessions. The second session drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence which stated to Great Britain and the world that the 13 American colonies were now independent states and started the American Revolutionary War.
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, were written in Philadelphia, again by the Second Continental Congress. Weaknesses in the Articles led to the Constitutional Convention which met in Philadelphia in 1787. The new constitution went into effect in 1788 and was fully ratified by all 13 states by 1790. Philadelphia then became the capitol of the United States for 10 years.
This is our favorite State Historical Marker. Western Pennsylvania is something of a historical backwater especially in regards to the American Revolution. With all the pot holes and closed industries, it is easy to forget that Pennsylvania played a pivotal role in the birth of our nation. Further it turns out, if one does a bit of historical extrapolation, that even grungy old Western Pennsylvania had an impact on the success of the American Revolution. George Washington was chosen by the Second Continental Congress as Commander In Chief of the Continental Army in June of 1775 based to some degree on his experience and fame in Western Pennsylvania from the French and Indian War. Who knows, if one of those four bullets that left holes in his coat had hit George, near the Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh, (the ambush of General Braddock, The Battle of the Monongahela) we may still be paying the East India Tea Company a three pence tax per pound for our Twinings.
This marker turned into something of a quest for us. We had seen artwork of the marker on the web several years ago. We believe it may have been the cover of a pamphlet back in the late 40s featured on the PHMC website. We didn’t know at the time that it was an actual marker placed on various major highways on the borders of the state. When we discovered that it was a real marker, our quest began.
On September 10, 2006, we drove to the Ohio border on PA 51 in Beaver County. We could not find the marker! We then drove to the West Virginia border on US 30 also in Beaver County—again no marker! On September 16, 2006, we went to US 119 to the West Virginia border in Fayette County. No marker! (Although we did find a West Virginia marker commemorating Pennsylvania. See link.) On Septermber 23, 2006, we traveled to Crawford County, US 322 on the Ohio Border. No marker! We proceeded to US 6 again in Crawford County and…found no marker!
Not giving up, we then drove to the Ohio border on US 20 in Erie County. At last the marker! But what we found broke our hearts. The marker is in extremely poor condition. The paint is peeling. The plaque is rotated at an odd angle to the highway, and it is bent in relation to the mounting receptacle. See photos.
Due to the fact that we were already in Erie County, we decided to see if we could find the markers at US 20 and PA 5, both on the New York border. We could not find either marker.
There should be eight of these proud markers in Western Pennsylvania. We found one pathetic bent up marker. This situation does not speak well of our collective respect for the events commemorated on the marker.
The PHMC website lists a marker for each of the above locations and none are noted as missing. We have emailed PHMC regarding these markers. CORRECTION 9-25-06: as a result of our email, PHMC has updated their database and the markers noted above are now listed as missing.
The ExplorePaHistory.com has a nice webpage regarding this particular marker (same sign different location) in the Web Address below. For a more detailed history of Pennsylvania, see the ushistory.org link from the ExplorePaHistory web page included in the links below.
Incidentally, the historical extrapolation for us has been Waymarking the Pennsylvania Historical Markers. To find the location of the other identical markers located throughout the Commonwealth, go to PHMC website (see link below) and perform a Marker Title search with "Pennsylvania". About 28 entries will appear for this particular marker but some are repeats.
LINKS:
PHMC Marker Search: (
visit link)
The West Virginia Marker commemorating Pennsylvania at US 119:
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visit link)
ushistory.org: “A Background To Pennsylvania”
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visit link)
Wikipedia: “George Washington”
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visit link)
Wikipedia: “French and Indian War”
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visit link)
Wikipedia: “The Second Continental Congress”
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visit link)
Wikipedia: “United States Declaration Of Independence”
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visit link)
Wikipedia: “American Revolutionary War”
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visit link)
Wikipedia: “Philadelphia Convention” (aka Constitutional Convention)
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visit link)
Related Waymark: After we kill ourselves looking for this sign all over Western Pennsylvania, the Leprechauns find a new sign near North East.
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visit link)