ABOUT
Macungie is the second oldest borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and a suburb ofAllentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region. Macungie is included in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New York City-Newark, New Jersey, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.
History
Macungie was founded as Millerstown in 1776 by Peter Miller. On November 15, 1857, the village of Millerstown was incorporated as a borough.During Fries's Rebellion in 1800, the U.S. Marshal began arresting people for tax resistance, and arrests were made without much incident until the marshal reached Millerstown, where a crowd formed to protect a man from arrest. Failing to make that arrest, the marshal arrested a few others and returned to Bethlehem, Pennsylvaniawith his prisoners. Two separate groups of rebels independently vowed to liberate the prisoners and marched on Bethlehem. The militia prevailed, and John Fries, leader of the rebellion, and others were arrested.In 1875, the borough was renamed Macungie to avoid confusion with another town by the same name:Millerstown in Perry County, Pennsylvania. Macungie lies in the eastern part of the historic Pennsylvania Dutch Country.Macungie is derived from "Maguntsche", a place name used as early as 1730 to describe the region that is now present-day Macungie and Emmaus, Pennsylvania. "Maguntsche" is a Lenape word, meaning either "bear swamp" or "feeding place of the bears". The borough's current seal depicts a bear coming to drink at water near some cattails.The Valentine Weaver House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.