Joel Monroe

Joel Monroe (1793–1877) was an American farmer and real-estate developer during the 19th century. He was the eponym for the community of Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Biography Monroe owned a farm that stretched from the Old Stone Church to the present-day Municipal Building, and it went northward into Garden City. The Tusk family owned the farm that stood on a tract measuring and 63 perches (parts of an acre), according to an 1828 deed. Monroe purchased this farmland in 1829. By selling off small lots, he encouraged development along the Northern Turnpike. In 1850, the farming community was highly developed, yet the mail was picked up in Turtle Creek.

Monroe subsequently became Monroeville's first postmaster, a position he held from 1851 to 1855.

Death and legacy His wife perished in an 1864 house fire, and Joel died 13 years later. He was buried next to his wife at the Greenwood Cemetery in New Castle.