[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 42 (Thursday, March 21, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COLUMBIA COUNTY BICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 2013

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Columbia County of the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which will celebrate its bicentennial 
anniversary on March 22, 2013.
   On March 22, 1813, Columbia County separated from Northumberland 
County. The area was named for Columbia, a popular poetic name for 
America at the time and one that alludes to Christopher Columbus and 
his discovery of our great nation. In 1870, Bloomsburg was named as the 
County Seat and is still considered to be the only ``incorporated'' 
town in Pennsylvania. Today, about 66,000 Americans call Columbia 
County home. They contribute to our nation by working hard for a living 
and caring for their families. Many of them are earning an education at 
Bloomsburg University, working at Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital or 
tending to family-owned farms or businesses.
   The County is noted for its natural beauty and historic sites. The 
Susquehanna River and several tributaries flow through the region which 
also has rolling farmlands, State game lands, State forests, and nature 
preserves. Notable architectural sites are the Catawissa Friends 
Meetinghouse constructed in 1789, the Columbia County Courthouse built 
in 1848, the Berwick Armory constructed in 1922, Bloomsburg Historic 
District, and 23 covered bridges, the third largest concentration of 
covered bridges in Pennsylvania.
   Mr. Speaker, for two hundred years Columbia County has been an 
integral part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our great nation. 
Therefore, I commend all those citizens who have lived and worked for 
two centuries in this beautiful and historic area.

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