50th District

Greene County Pennsylvania

Greene County, Pennsylvania was named for Nathaniel Greene on Feb. 9, 1796. The county was born when John Minor sponsored a bill in which legislated that this southern portion of Washington County, Pennsylvania become a separate county. Waynesburg, the county seat is named after General "MAD" Anthony Wayne who led the army to defeat the Indians in the Northwest territory, what today is the Ohio Valley . Greene County, Pennsylvania is located in the southwestern corner of the state of Pennsylvania . It's bordered by the counties of Washington to the north, Fayette to the east, Monongalia County, West Virginia to the south and Marshall County, West Virginia to the west. Greene County, Pennsylvania is also part of the Monongahela Valley of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

From 1775-1780 Greene County, Pennsylvania was claimed by Virginia. Most of the eastern portion was Monongalia County, Virginia and the western quarter was Ohio County, Virginia. Springhill Twp. was located in the northern strip that was part of Pennsylvania.

Township formations:

1781 Greene, Cumberland, Morgan, and Donegal
1786 Franklin
1792 Richhill
(Greene County was formed in 1796 from Washington County)
1798 Whitely and Dunkard
1799 Morris, Jefferson
1807 Wayne
1817 Aleppo
1820 Center
1822 Monongahela
1838 Washington
1839 Jackson
1841 Perry
1857 Gilmore
1860 Springhill

Washington County Pennsylvania

Formed in 1781 and named after the first president of the United States, residents and businesses have been welcoming visitors to experience one of the most historical and economically growing areas in the nation.

Washington County is located in southwestern Pennsylvania. The current population is 208,000 with a land area of 863.6 square miles. The county seat is the city of Washington, a third-class city located at the intersection of Interstates 70 & 79 and located about 28 miles south of Pittsburgh. The Monongahela River separates Washington County from both Westmoreland and Fayette Counties.

Washington is an area rich with history and many exciting local attractions. Today, Washington County continues to grow from an economy once based on traditional industries to a center of high technology and advanced manufacturing.

The county also boasts a major university, three colleges, three premier hospitals and efficient access to all cultural, retail and sports activities in the Pittsburgh region. The low cost of living is second only to the high quality of life.

Fayette County Pennsylvania

Created in September 1783 from the southern portion of Westmoreland County, Fayette County was named for the Marquis de la Fayette, the young Frenchman who assisted General George Washington during several major battles of the American Revolution. Uniontown, originally established as Beeson's Town in 1776, was chosen as the county seat.

The county's first industrialization came as the 19th century loomed, with iron furnaces being built in the mountains to take advantage of the many deposits of iron ore and abundant forests which provided a source of wood for charcoal. The local glass industry which later brought national recognition to the upper Monongahela River valley, was first established when Albert Gallatin opened his New Geneva glassworks in 1794. Within the next 20 years numerous glass factories were erected at various points along the river. The National Road, constructed through the heart of the county about 1815, brought huge numbers of travelers on the way to the newly opened Northwest Territory and ensured the continued growth of Fayette County.The largest boom to Fayette County's growth and economy, however, came from the discovery of the coke-making process. Vast deposits of bituminous coal underlying much of the county resulted in the development of a internationally renowned coal and coke industry around the turn of the 20th century. As the coal fields expanded, thousands of European immigrants came to Fayette County to work in the mines. New towns appeared seemingly overnight to accommodate the miners - small communities of "company houses" built by the coal companies to house the new labor group. Fortunes were made in Fayette County coal and it became one of the essential ingredients upon which the Pittsburgh steel empire was built.

The coal and coke boom began to peter out as the effects of the Great Depression took hold. By 1950 most of the large Fayette County mines had been played out and the county's economy took a major downward turn from which it is still recovering today. The future of Fayette County lies in tourism and industrialization based on the efficient network of roads and rivers crisscrossing the county. The lush mountain setting and abundant recreational opportunities are attracting new high-tech business to the area, with a young workforce looking to play as hard as they work.