| |
Union County, PA
|
Created on March 22, 1813, from part of Northumberland
County. Its name is an allusion to the Federal Union.
Lewisburg, the county seat after 1855, was laid out in
1785 and named for Ludwig (Anglicized to “Lewis”) Derr,
its founder. It was incorporated as a borough on March
21, 1822. New Berlin was the county seat from 1815 to
1855.
 Settlers
appeared in the Buffalo Valley in 1750, and the area was
raided during the French and Indian War. Indians held
little girls from the LeRoy and Leininger families
captive for years. At Fort Stanwix in 1768 Pennsylvania
purchased the area from several Indian nations. New
settlers arrived via the Tulpehocken Road, although
Indians raided again in 1777. The Evangelical
Association was founded in New Berlin, and its
activities were centered there for many years. In 1830,
the Western Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal
linked Lewisburg to the outside world, and New Berlin
ceased growing when the county seat was transferred to
Lewisburg. The Panic of 1873 eclipsed Lewisburg,
however. Between 1865 and 1910, Mifflinburg grew to be
the horse buggy capital of America. Dinkey railroads
exploited lumber in remote parts of county. Iron making
from local ore was successful until 1865, but could not
compete after that. Today, farms cover almost one-third
of the county, and it is competitive in the production
of field grains, poultry, and dairy products. Furniture
and cabinet manufacture, yarn and apparel, printing,
road paving materials, and cable assemblies are major
businesses in the county. Governor Simon Snyder was from
Selinsgrove, which was part of Union County until 1855. |
|
|
|
|
