Mercer County
Mercer County, located in northwestern Pennsylvania, was named after its county seat, Mercer, which in turn was named to honor physician Brigadier General Hugh Mercer. Brigadier General Mercer had the distinction of being a close friend to General Washington. He served with the future first U.S. President in the early days of the Revolution, also achieving renown fighting in the French and Indian War. Brigadier General Mercer crossed the Delaware River to participate in the victory at Trenton. He received a mortal wound during the Battle of Princeton, succumbing to his injuries on January 12th, 1777.
The county was created on March 12, 1800. The city of Mercer is known for being the birthplace of 19th-century painter, Samuel Waugh, as well as famed musician Trent Reznor, who created the band Nine Inch Nails. The city hosts its Penn’s Woods West Arts & Crafts Festival at the Mercer Area High School each February, and holds Victorian Days each summer.
Mercer County experienced an industrial boom during the later part of the 19th century, seeing the development of a robust railroad system along with a boost to the coal industry. The abundant availability of coal also formed the foundation for a successful iron industry, with the area’s first steel mill appearing in 1887. F.H. Buhl, D. Hagan, and Samuel McClure jointly formed the Sharon Steel Casting’s Company, boasting an open-hearth furnace. Not only did Buhl play a significant role in furthering the development of industry in the area, he also became well known for his philanthropic activities.
Mercer County possesses fine Pennsylvania lawyers who practice many areas of law, such as employment law, bankruptcy law, personal injury law, family law, medical malpractice law, immigration law, workers compensation law, and criminal law. Criminal law is usually divided into two categories: felonies, larger offenses that typically result in harsher punishments, and misdemeanors, smaller offenses that yield less harsh penalties. Defendants accused of breaking Pennsylvania law would be well served to hire reputable criminal defense Pennsylvania lawyers to represent them.
One common area of Pennsylvania law practiced by Pennsylvania lawyers in Mercer County is that of wrongful death, brought about by the survivors and/or estate of the decedent. Pennsylvania law does distinguish between individuals eligible to file a wrongful death suit and those who are beneficiaries. Those who may sue are in truth filing suit on behalf of others. Under Pennsylvania law, a surviving spouse, child, parent or guardian, or personal representative (a person appointed by the state of Pennsylvania to represent the beneficiaries) of the deceased person may file a suit on behalf of the surviving spouse, children, or parents.
Pennsylvania law provides for four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, rarer cases, towns. Below are listed the cities, boroughs and townships located in Mercer County:
Cities
Boroughs
Townships
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