Early History of Perry County, Pennsylvania

 

The reason Perry County came into existence was due to the considerable population of the area with the continued incoming of new settlers and the need for frequent trips over the Kittatinny, or  Blue Mountain, to the county seat at Carlisle over roads which were almost impassible during some parts of the year.  Because of the challenges getting to Carlisle, settlers north of the mountain presented petitions to the State Legislators to create a separate county so they could travel to a seat of justice without that great natural barrier, the Blue Mountain.

 

By an act of the State Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and signed by the governor, William Findley, on March 22, 1820 Perry County was created.  This territory was part of the lands covered by the Indian treaty at Albany, New York, July 6, 1754.  The lands covered by this treaty were all embraced in Cumberland County at that time and the northern part was later formed into Perry, Juniata and Mifflin Counties.  When Perry County was formed it was comprised of seven townships lying north of the Blue Hill or Kittatinny Mountains.  These townships were: Tyrone, Toboyne, Rye, Greenwood, Juniata, Buffalo and Saville.  

 

Perry County is bounded on the north by the Tuscarora Mountain, separating it from Juniata County, on the East by the Susquehanna River separating it from Dauphin County, on the south by the Kittatinny or Blue Mountain separating it from Cumberland County and on the west by Franklin County.  The natural boundaries of mountains and streams, enclosing the county to form of a triangle.  Perry County is 38 miles long, 14 miles wide with an area of 539 square miles.  The population of the county in 1820, when the county was created was 11,342.

 

Landisburg was designated as the temporary county seat, pending the selection of a permeate site, when the county was created.  The first court of common pleas was convened in Landisburg on December 4, 1820. 

 

Perry County was named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry to honor him for his actions in the battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812 with England and the news of his death at the Port of Spain, Island of Trinidad had just reached our shores in the year the county was created.  Not only was Perry honored by naming Perry County, Pennsylvania, in honor of him, but counties were also named for him in nine other states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. 

 

You can learn more about the history of Perry County by reading History of Perry County by H. H. Hain, Wright’s History of Perry County, History of Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Bedford, Adams and Franklin Counties by I. D. Rupp and several other publications on the subject.

 

The information presented here was taken from the H. H. Hain and I. D. Rupp publications.

 

 

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