Myerstown and the other Eastern Lebanon County towns are located in one of America's most fertile valleys. Rich limestone bedrock underlies much of the Lebanon Valley, which is anchored by Reading to the east and Harrisburg to the west. Myerstown, a borough since 1912, was laid out 144 years earlier by Isaac Meier on his plantation along the Tulpehocken Creek. Jackson Township surrounds Myerstown and is growing rapidly with small businesses, retirement communities, and Amish- and Mennonite-owned farms. Richland, a borough since 1906, was founded in the 1850s when a railroad was built through the valley. Heidelberg Township, the oldest of the municipalities, contains the 18th-century farm and village of Historic Schaefferstown. Millcreek Township includes the communities of Newmanstown and Millbach, where a quaint Pennsylvania German village is located.