The Naming of Sayre

Excerpt from "A Short History of Sayre," written by Mrs. J. W. Bishop, nee Mary Wells Bishop, shown on the left with her daughter, Katherine Bishop Cady, Dr. Joseph Cady's mother on the right. This is one of the earliest accounts of the history of early Sayre and includes the names of those who were instrumental in that historic time period: Howard Elmer and Robert Sayre.

There is this tradition as to the naming of Sayre, Mrs. Bishop writes.
Mr. (Howard) Elmer took a party of railroad men to the hillside about where the reservoir now is to give them a view of the situation. All were greatly impressed by the beauty and extent of the plain and Robert H. Sayre, president of the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad Company and superintendent of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, exclaimed:
"What a magnificent location for a great city!"
Mr. Sayre's judgment was considered valuable and Mr. Elmer said:
"If that is your opinion, Mr. Sayre, we will build a town and call it by your name," which was done at that time...

In attempting to date this announcement is this information: This excerpt falls between Mrs. Bishop's account of the first lot on North Lehigh Avenue bought by John Sheehan in 1873 on which he built a house and that of the land company building a "commodious passenger station" with a lunch room in 1873 which burned in 1875.