Dauphin County, Pennsylvania - info, facts, communities on Key to the City

1990 - 238,434
1991 - 240,061
1992 - 241,542
1993 - 243,508
1994 - 245,038
1995 - 245,472
1996 - 245,879
1997 - 245,713
1998 - 245,579

Location:

Dauphin County is located in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Here is a map page for Dauphin County

100 miles west of Philadelphia and 200 miles east of Pittsburgh.

History:

Here is a history page for Dauphin County

Some excerpts from the above history page:
"John Harris, a native of Yorkshire, England, arrived in Philadelphia as one of the first emigrants to accompany William Penn. In approximately 1719, Harris moved with his wife Esther from Chester County to Lancaster County. They then eventually built a log cabin on the banks of the Susquehanna, near the present juncture of Paxton and Front streets.

In about 1727, John Harris, Jr. was born. Harris, Jr. became the founder of Harrisburg and the leader in the movement to establish Dauphin County. Other settlers soon followed in the footsteps of John Harris, Sr., and on December 17, 1733, the proprietaries of Pennsylvania granted to him by patent, 300 acres of land, within which was included the present site of the Dauphin County Court House. He developed a large trade with the Indians in fur and skins and established numerous trading posts. He also began farming on a small scale and introduced the first plow to the vicinity. Harris, Sr. established the first ferry across the Susquehanna, which in time became so popular that that place was no longer called by its Indian name of Peixtan, but Harris' Ferry.

In the beginning of Provincial government in Pennsylvania, what is now Dauphin County was part of Chester. An act of Assembly of 1729 included a major portion of it in the new county of Lancaster. John Harris, Jr. argued against the inconvenience of having to travel to Lancaster for the conduct of legal business and court sessions, so he presented an appeal to the General Assembly in 1782 to carve out a separate county around Harris' Ferry.

Although a stormy debate ensued over whether the county seat should be in Middletown or Harris Ferry, Harris ultimately won out, and by an act of the General Assembly of March 4, 1785, Dauphin County was established, providing that its seat of government and justice should be "near Harris's Ferry."

The county was named "Dauphin," in honor of the eldest son of the King of France, who had come to the aid of the American colonies during the American Revolution."

Genealogy:

For a copy of a birth certificate:

Pennsylvania Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
101 South Mercer Street
PO Box 1528
New Castle, Pennsylvania 16103-1528
PHONE: (728) 656-3100

Government:

Official Dauphin County page

County Courthouse
P.O. Box 1295
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1295
(717) 255-2741
FAX: (717) 255-2741

Dauphin County Board of Commissioners
PO Box 1295
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1295
Phone: (717) 255-2741

The Board of Commissioners is the legislative and administrative body of county government. Each commissioner is elected to a four-year term. The Commissioners oversee the county's employees, the budget, and the administration of county programs.

Dauphin County Library System

For a marriage license:

Dauphin County Courthouse
Room 103
Front & Market Streets
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Phone: (717) 255-2659
How go obtain one?

Dauphin County Parks and Recreation
100 Fort Hunter Road
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110
Phone: (717) 599-5188
Email: dcprtavern@juno.com

Schools

School Districts in the county

Organizations

PA Capital Regions Vacation Bureau
Cumberland Valley
Visitors Center
1255A Harrisburg Pike
Carlisle, PA 17013
Phone: 717-249-4801
Fax: 717-249-3141
E-mail: info@pacapitalregions.com

Attractions

Things to see and do in the county

The National Civil War Museum
1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17103
Phone: (717) 260-1861

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park
760 Tobias Road
Halifax, PA 17032
Phone: (717)362-9126

Visit Harrisburg, Hershey and Carlisle

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This page was last updated on 6 May 2009 at 11:42 pm

This page was created 8 October 2001