After considerable discussion at The Historical Society’s founding in 1998, it was decided unanimously to use the full word “Mount” rather than the abbreviation “Mt.” for three reasons:
- To pay tribute to the original legal name of the township, which, when formed in 1912, was “Mount Lebanon”.
- To emphasize the overall history of the community prior to as well as after the adoption of the home rule charter, which took effect in 1975 and brought about the change to the abbreviated form.
- To communicate an appreciation for the past we felt appropriate for this group.
We also decided to capitalize the word “The” at the beginning of the Society’s name, similar to The Pennsylvania State University and The Ohio State University, as a way to emphasize the standing of the group.
There you have it, The Historical Society of Mount Lebanon. The decisions regarding our group’s name were duly ratified by the Society’s governing boards and membership in 1998. They subsequently were embodied in our group’s constitution, by-laws, incorporation, Internal Revenue Service 501(c)3 designation, and state sales tax exemption. They continue to serve us well.