HR0346 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0346 LRB094 12065 HSS 45246 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The City of Trenton will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 14, 2005; and

WHEREAS, William Lewis and his brother-in-law, A.W. Casad of Trenton, New Jersey, first arrived in the area in 1818, and Mr. Lewis located his farm where the present City of Trenton stands today; in 1825, First Methodist Church, the first church congregation, was formed, followed by St. Johns Evangelical, and then St. Mary's Catholic Church; and

WHEREAS, A Mr. Buckman established the first post office in 1853, calling it Trenton, and the city was established on May 14, 1855, by Alva Lewis; Trenton was charted as a village on February 16, 1856, with Joseph Hanke serving as the first mayor; Trenton Coal served as the main employment in the town until 1909; and

WHEREAS, Trenton was incorporated as a city on September 20, 1887; the first newspaper, the Trenton Gazette/Sun, was established in 1880 and is still in operation today; and

WHEREAS, The city celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 1955; at that time, the population was 1,400 and Trenton gained the nickname "Friendly City"; in 1990, the city adopted the slogan "A Growing Place - A Place to Grow"; and

WHEREAS, On June 22, 1993, because the city's zip code is 62293, Trenton celebrated "Zip Code Day"; in 2003, Trenton received the Governor's Hometown Award; and

WHEREAS, Trenton's population today is 2,700 and continues to grow; the present mayor of Trenton is Robert Louis Koentz; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the City of Trenton on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the City of Trenton as an expression of our respect and esteem and with best wishes for many prosperous years in the future.