Dauphin, Pennsylvania

History

Dauphin borough began as a settlement at the mouth of Stony Creek, the head of a valley between Second and Third Mountains. It was established by Samuel Sturgeon in 1765. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Sturgeon property was owned by Revolutionary War soldier Timothy Green. The locality became known as Green's Mill, after the grist mill Colonel Green built at the mouth of the creek. According to local history, the area was also known for its colonial-period fort, alternately called Fort Lyon or Fort McKee. Colonel Green continued to hold highly valued real estate until his death in 1812. By 1814, his plantation property with its mills became part of his son Judge Innis Green's holdings. Judge Green continued to add to his real estate holdings throughout the early nineteenth century. The borough also took the name, Greensburg, after a post office.

The surrounding township is called Middle Paxton, part of the former Paxton Township of Lancaster County prior to the creation of Dauphin County in 1785. Middle Paxton Township was incorporated in 1787. The main geographic feature of this area are ancient hills or mountains and narrow valleys that generally run east to west with streams emptying into the Susquehanna River. The township remained rural until the twentieth century.

From the History section of Dauphin, Pennsylvania on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.