Pennsylvania Act 2014-99 — BUCKTAIL REGIMENT MEMORIAL BRIDGE - DESIGNATION

Act text

An Act

Designating a bridge on that portion of State Route 6 at Segment 0730 Offset 1125 over the Marvin Creek, Smethport Borough, McKean County, as the Bucktail Regiment Memorial Bridge.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Bucktail Regiment Memorial Bridge.

(a) Findings.--

(1) The Bucktail Regiment was a group of young recruits from McKean, Elk, Tioga and Cameron Counties that rose to the defense of the Union following the bombing of Fort Sumter in April 1861.

(2) Primarily composed of young woodsmen, lumberjacks, raftsmen, hunters and farmers accustomed to living in the rugged mountainous area of northern Pennsylvania, the men adopted the tail of the whitetail buck as their regiment's badge of honor.

(3) The approximately 700 troops adorned their caps with deer tails and, as a result, became known as the "Bucktails."

(4) As part of the Federal Army, the troops became the 42nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, also known as the Bucktail Regiment, and served with high distinction in most of the major battles of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War.

(b) Designation.--The bridge located on State Route 6 at Segment 0730 Offset 1125 in Smethport Borough, McKean County, over the Marvin Creek is hereby designated the Bucktail Regiment Memorial Bridge.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.

Section 2. Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.