Morgantown, Pennsylvania

Odd Fellows Hall

Morgantown is a populated place in Caernarvon Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with a zip code of 19543. It is at an elevation of 597 ft (182 m) at 40° 9' 18"N and 75°53' 23"W.

General History

Morgantown was named after Colonel Jacob Morgan, who laid out the town around 1770. His father, Thomas, had been a native of Wales, a captain in the French and Indian War, and owner of a large tract of choice land in Caernarvon Township. Jacob Morgan settled in this area around 1765, building a large stone house, which still stands on Hartz Road between Mineview Drive and Shiloh Road. It is rumored to have housed George Washington during a brief overnight visit. The house has been restored by its owners.

Mogantown was, until the arrival of the Turnpike, a mostly agriculture-based settlement. Now it is much larger and busier with the settlement of several manufacturing companies, including Timet, Tursack Incorporated, Morgan Corp. Stoltzfus Spreaders, Viwinco Windows and McNeilus cement mixers. Other aspects of the town have grown too, especially the roads. In the 1970s the Morgantown Expressway Interstate 176 was built to interstate highway standards, providing a link between Morgantown and PA 23 and Reading and US 422.

Aside from the development and industry, Morgantown remains a small community at heart.

In 1987 an entrepreneur named Raymond Carr laid out plans for New Morgan which was incorporated into a borough in 1988. The borough currently has 35 residents, and it seems that the actual town has yet to be built.

Coordinates: 40°09′18″N 75°53′24″W / 40.155°N 75.89°W / 40.155; -75.89

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References

1. ^ http://www.caernarvon.org/history/history.html