A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING JEREMIAH MORRIS, FOUNDER OF THE TOWN OF MORRISVILLE, ON THE TOWN'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY.

Whereas, the Town of Morrisville is the oldest community in Wake County established along the North Carolina Railroad; and
Whereas, the Town was named for Jeremiah Morris, who donated three acres of land to the North Carolina Railroad for a water station, woodshed, and other buildings in 1852; and
Whereas, Jeremiah Morris established the first post office in the Town in March of 1852 and became the Town's first postmaster; and
Whereas, the Town served as a polling place in 1859; and
Whereas, on April 13, 1865, the Town was the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War; and
Whereas, by the 1870s the Town was home to six general stores, several churches, a hotel, and a steam sawmill; and
Whereas, also during this time, the Town supported a cabinetmaker, a lawyer, and four physicians; and
Whereas, the Town was chartered on March 3, 1875; and
Whereas, by the 1880s, the Town's population was 165; and
Whereas, Samuel Horne opened a knitting mill in the Town in 1910; and
Whereas, the Town's charter was repealed in 1933 and rechartered in 1947; and
Whereas, in 1976, the Town purchased the Morrisville Christian Church building which served as the first Town Hall; and
Whereas, the Town's growth and attractiveness is evident from the number of residents who have chosen to make Morrisville their home; and
Whereas, the Town's population was 251 in 1980 and 1,469 in 1990; and
Whereas, the Town currently estimates its population to be 10,315; and
Whereas, the Town should be commended on its 150th anniversary; Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the memory of Jeremiah Morris in helping to establish the Town of Morrisville.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly congratulates the Town of Morrisville on its 150th anniversary and encourages the people of this State to participate in activities commemorating this special occasion.
SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall send a certified copy of this resolution to the Mayor of the Town of Morrisville.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 11th day of July, 2002.

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		 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

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		 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives