Mercer County, located in northwestern Pennsylvania, along the Ohio border, was first settled in the mid-1790’s. Named for Revolutionary War hero Hugh Mercer, it was formed from part of Allegheny County, and incorporated in 1800. Mercer County is strategically placed between the ports of Erie and Pittsburgh. Area waterways like the Shenango River all contributed to the life of the region. As the population grew, it became apparent that water transportation would be a key to growth. By the the 1840’s, pig iron and coal were being hauled to Erie through the Beaver and Erie Canal. In the 1880’s, the powerful Wheatland Bessamer Steel incorporated, followed by Sharon Steel Hoop Company in 1900. Sadly, by the late 1980’s, a tornado had destroyed Wheatland, and Sharon declared bankruptcy. However, the purchase and refurbishing of Sharon Steel and other initiatives that took shape during the 1990s are beginning to have a positive impact.

The county’s political history is even more interesting than its industrial heritage: in the mid-1820’s escaped slaves used the Underground Railroad to establish a settlement known as ‘Liberia,’ now Stoneboro. A decade or so later, a Mercer County Anti-Slavery Society address declared, “In the present state of our country and the world ‘nothing human is more certain’ than that slavery in the United States must terminate. ” Through the 1980’s, Mercer County was seen as a predictor of Pennsylvania voting outcomes, and as such a bellweather for the political fortunes of presidential candidates. Traditional resource-based industries – agriculture, forestry, and mining – as well as heritage-based tourism, will continue to play important roles in the county’s future.