The Pennsylvania State Historical and Museum Commission has approved a highway marker commemorating the ordeal of Levittown’s first Black family, who were greeted with cross burnings and death threats when they moved to the Dogwood Hollow section in 1957.
The commission voted Sept. 23 to create and erect one of its blue and yellow highway markers for Bill and Daisy Myers in Bristol Township, not far from where they purchased a home on Deepgreen Lane in the neighborhood off Mill Creek Parkway.
“It’s important that this event not be erased from history, or forgotten,” said Lynda Myers, daughter of Bill and Daisy Myers, who now lives in York.
Who are Bill and Daisy Myers of Levittown?
The Myers family lived in the Bloomsdale-Fleetwing neighborhood in Bristol Township before moving to nearby Levittown. They had moved to Bucks County from Mr. Myers’ hometown of York in 1954. They were college educated (Hampton University), and had been active in Bristol Township’s Democratic Party organization and in the community. Bill Myers launched a successful petition drive to keep a large field across from Bloomsdale as open space (today the Urban Outfitters building). Daisy Myers was appointed as the township’s playground supervisor. They were fairly well-known in the township.
With a two boys and a little girl, Lynda, they searched for a bigger house and found a pale pink Levittowner on a corner lot in Dogwood. They moved to Levittown on Aug. 13, 1957. Mobs soon arrived.
Why was their move to Levittown controversial?
Levittown was a post-World War II, affordable community for blue-collar, middle-class people. But its builder, Levitt and Sons Inc., had a restrictive sales policy and would not sell to Black buyers. But since race-based discrimination in housing sales was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948, Levitt could not stop a Levittown homeowner from selling to a willing buyer.
A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier was the first to confirm the Myers had moved in, and spread the news on Deepgreen Lane. Nightly crowds milled around the house, forcing the Myers and their children to flee to safety. Angry, racist neighbors hurled rocks through the Myers picture window and spit on the lawn. Eight crosses were burned. Anti-Myers neighbors, led by the late James Newell Sr., stoked unrest and fear. The “Levittown Betterment Committee” was formed, and the Ku Klux Klan was consulted to advise them.
The tension and turmoil lasted weeks until a court injunction stopped the unrest.
Why is the state marking this event?
In 2023, members of the United Christian Church of Levittown formed a committee to have Bristol Township commemorate the events of the summer 1957.
Committee member Keith Pacheco said it was a long, complicated process, but the panel succeeded not only in acquiring the state marker, but also an agreement with the Bristol Township Council to replace a tree named for Daisy Myers in 1999, and to mark it with a plaque explaining its significance.
He said his church, which in 1957 was called the Church of the Reformation, was home to the Rev. Ray Harwick, one of the few clergy in Bucks County to risk his safety by publicly defending the Myers move.
What happened to the Myers family of Levittown?
Bill and Daisy Myers returned to York in 1961, where Bill, who had an engineering degree, was in charge of the physical plant for state buildings in Harrisburg. Daisy Myers became a teacher and finished her career as a school principal in the Dallastown District. Bill died in 1987. Daisy died in 2011.
After a multi-part series published in the Bucks County Courier Times detailed their ordeal, then Bristol Township Mayor Sam Fenton invited Daisy Myers to return to Levittown. On Dec. 7, 1999, he gave the Myers a public apology. It was one of three return trips Mrs. Meyers made to Levittown, including co-hosting a gala with Bill Levitt’s wife, Simone.
What will the marker say?
The proposed text:
“DAISY & WILLIAM MYERS
“Defied Segregated Housing in Levittown
“OUR ROSA PARKS MOMENT
“In August 1957, the first Black family integrated Levittown. Rumors spread, huge fearful and angry mobs gathered. Crosses were burned and death threats were received.
“Simultaneously, hundreds of supportive letters arrived and caring neighbors guarded the home day and night protecting the Myers family. In October 1957, an injunction was issued ending the protests.
“The Myers’ courage, nonviolence and love of family proved stronger than the intimidation they faced.”
Where will the marker be placed and when?
The marker will be erected on a small, triangular spot near the Dogwood Hollow neighborhood at Haines Road and Mill Creek Parkway in Spring 2026. A formal dedication will follow in August 2026.
