The Village of Millerstown
(The Borough of Macungie)
"Macungie" is a Lenape Indian phrase signifying "the feeding place of the bears" or, as it was translated by the early Pennsylvania German immigrants, "Baere Schwamm" (fertile meadow of the bears). Early spellings of the name Macungie included Machts Kunshi, Machkunschi, Maguntsche, Macongy, and Macungy.
For thousands of years, this area contained exceptionally rich hunting grounds, with lush meadows, deep swamps, and primeval forests teeming with fish and game. But the main attraction of the mach-kun-schi region was the rich deposits of jasper, mined in open-pit quarries along the southeartern portion of the borough for weapons, ornaments, and a variety of tools.
The Macungie region was first settled by Pennsylvania German immigrants around the year 1735. The village of Millerstown (derived from the two words Miller's Town), now the Borough of Macungie, was established in 1776 by Peter Miller of Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, when he purchased 150 acres of land along a King's Highway in what was then a portion of Northampton County. Peter Miller drafted the plot plan for the original village, initially selling 23 two-acre lots in 46 parts. On February 2, 1782, Miller sold the remaining balance, approximately 105 acres, to Bartholomew Hoover, who obtained a patent from the Honorable Superior Executive Council of Pennsylvania on July 23, 1784. Hoover then reconveyed the entire tract back to Peter Miller and his wife Christina, who promptly sold it to the Rev. Jacob van Buskirk, by deed dated November 19, 1784, for the sun of £1,500.
For thousands of years, this area contained exceptionally rich hunting grounds, with lush meadows, deep swamps, and primeval forests teeming with fish and game. But the main attraction of the mach-kun-schi region was the rich deposits of jasper, mined in open-pit quarries along the southeartern portion of the borough for weapons, ornaments, and a variety of tools.
The Macungie region was first settled by Pennsylvania German immigrants around the year 1735. The village of Millerstown (derived from the two words Miller's Town), now the Borough of Macungie, was established in 1776 by Peter Miller of Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, when he purchased 150 acres of land along a King's Highway in what was then a portion of Northampton County. Peter Miller drafted the plot plan for the original village, initially selling 23 two-acre lots in 46 parts. On February 2, 1782, Miller sold the remaining balance, approximately 105 acres, to Bartholomew Hoover, who obtained a patent from the Honorable Superior Executive Council of Pennsylvania on July 23, 1784. Hoover then reconveyed the entire tract back to Peter Miller and his wife Christina, who promptly sold it to the Rev. Jacob van Buskirk, by deed dated November 19, 1784, for the sun of £1,500.
Macungie Historical Society P.O. Box 355 Macungie, PA 18062-0355
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