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Lebanon County, PA
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Created on was created on February 16, 1813, from parts
of Dauphin and Lancaster Counties and named for old
Lebanon Township. Lebanon is a Biblical name meaning
“White Mountain.” Lebanon, the county seat, was laid out
in 1750. It was incorporated as a borough on March 28,
1799, but the citizens did not accept incorporation. It
was finally chartered as a borough on February 20, 1821
and as a city in 1885.
 Palatine
Germans from New York were the first large group, first
arriving in 1732. Conrad Weiser became their leader.
Today 42 percent of the residents still claim German
descent. Indian attacks troubled the area from 1755 to
1763, and the Hanover Resolves of 1774 anticipated the
Revolution. Jacob Albright established the Evangelical
Association whose Albright College was located in
Myerstown from 1895 to 1928. A turnpike in 1817 followed
by the Union Canal in 1828 opened up business markets.
Iron mines, especially those of the Coleman family, led
to iron making. Cornwall Furnace was productive from
1742 to 1883; Cornwall’s iron mine operated into the
1970s. There was an important limestone industry, and
items manufactured included carriages, shoes, cigars,
Miller Organs, whiskey, and Lebanon Bologna. Agriculture
leads the economy today, the county being a leader in
livestock and dairy products—sixth in the state—and an
important grain producer. It is one of only four
counties in which half or more of the area is farmed.
The first National Guard annual training camps were at
Mount Gretna. Since World War II, the Federal dollar
input in the county has been high because of Indiantown
Gap Military Reservation. |
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