League of Women Voters--Know Your County

KYC is currently undergoing revision.  Since information changes daily, please verify for accuracy.

The southern half of the county has a gentle, rolling surface that ranges in elevation from 450 to 649 feet above sea level. The northern part of the county consists of a series of rather steep hills ranging from 400 to 1000 feet above the general level of the valley, 1450 to 1600 feet above sea level. The South Mountain range is from 100 to 500 feet above the adjacent territory and has an elevation of 700 to 1,000 feet above sea level.

The drainage of much of the county is westward into the Susquehanna Basin that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. In the eastern section of the county, water flows into the Schuylkill river Basin toward Philadelphia. The Swatara Creek, part of the Susquehanna Basin, is the most significant stream in the county and has the largest watershed.

The first European settlers in the county were the Scotch-Irish, descendants of the Lowland Scots who were settled in Ulster in the 17th century. They had come to the province seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity. They lived on the fringe of civilization, the "Wild West" of those days, ever moving west for more opportunities. Their legacy remains in the county today in place names North Londonderry and South Londonderry Townships in the western part of the county.

The first German settlers started to come to Pennsylvania in the 1680's and settled in Germantown, now a part of the City of Philadelphia. Gradually settlers moved into the Lebanon Valley area. The Hill Lutheran Church, north of Annville, was organized in 1733 by the Reverend John Caspar Stoever. It is one of the oldest congregations in the county. About ten miles to the west is Bindnagle Evangelical Lutheran Church, a daughter congregation of the Hill Church, which was started in 1745 by Hans Bindnagle and other early settlers. The colonial brick church this congregation built in 1803 is on the National Register of Historic Places and is still in use today.

These congregations, and others, formed the basis for the settlement of Lebanon County. During the French and Indian War, between 1754 and 1763, the church buildings served as fortresses in times of Indian raids. Later the churches provided schools to give children basic skills in the "3 R's". As the population of the Lebanon Valley grew, the area was politically leapfrogged and governed as part of Lancaster and Dauphin Counties.

On February 16, 1813, Lebanon County officially became a Pennsylvania County. It is believed that the Moravians sponsored the name of Lebanon because of its biblical origin; the Valley of Lebanon was the most fertile in Syria. At the time the county was organized, the population was approximately 17,000; the 1990 Census counted 113,744 Lebanon Countians. The county seat, the City of Lebanon, was laid out in 1750 by George Steitz and was called Steitztown for many years. The City was first 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 in1885.

During colonial times, William Penn had suggested the construction of a canal from the Susquehanna River to the Delaware River through the Lebanon Valley. After many starts and failures, 77 ½ miles were opened and the Union Canal was in business. A tunnel constructed north of the City of Lebanon is the oldest canal tunnel in the United States.

By 1857, railroads had come to the county and canal travel declined. A flood in 1862 caused extensive damage to the canal. By1885 the canal was deserted and sold by the Sheriff of Philadelphia to pay the owners' debts.

Cornwall Furnace, where General Washington directed the forging of cannons and munitions for his Army;

Historic Schaefferstown, where a Pennsylvania German home and a farm life exhibition of the early 1700's is continued today by the founders' descendants; Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, where 5,000 acres of breath taking sights and sounds of thousands of resident and migrating wild geese and ducks can be enjoyed;

Lebanon Bologna Manufacturers, where this world famous product can be seen curing in rustic wooden smoke sheds;

Annville, where the First Lebanon County Community was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Friends of Old Annville, an organization interested in the preservation and beautification of Annville, conducts walking tours as well as an antique show. In addition, they place markers on buildings and give property pride awards to businesses and individuals;

Mt. Gretna, where artisans from all over the United States display their work at an art show held each August;

The Renaissance Faire at the Mt. Hope Estate and Winery, where jousting knights and wine tasting occur from late summer to mid fall;

The Hinklefest in Fredericksburg, on the third weekend of September. Hinkle is Pennsylvania Dutch for chicken. The food is all chicken specialties -- including chicken pizza. Sponsored by Lebanon's three chicken processing plants: Farmer's Pride, Pennfield Farms and College Hill Poultry.

The Appalachian Trail, where hikers cross the Swatara Creek in Union Township on a lenticular structure bridge, one of three left in the state of Pennsylvania;