We honor the churches of Duncannon that served the community over 100 years ago. Our Christian tradition began in 1804 with the Presbyterian Church at the Mouth of the Juniata and continues to this day.
"Sabbath Day" by Scotty . . . — — Map (db m242162) HM
The Clark's Ferry Bridge was part of the Main Line Pennsylvania Canal built in 1828. Mules walked on a cantilevered walkway outside the structure and towed canal boats across the river. The dam below the bridge was known as Green's Dam and . . . — — Map (db m119917) HM
The Clark's Ferry Tavern, the oldest building in Duncannon, was originally built by John or Daniel Clark as early as 1788 and later enlarged. It served vital roles as a docking point for the ferry crossing the Susquehanna River, an inn, tavern, . . . — — Map (db m119883) HM
Erected by the Duncannon High School Alumni Association to remember the students, faculty, school board members and citizens served by the Duncannon Area Schools — — Map (db m119888)
Built in 1889, this was the first building in Perry County to be devoted exclusively to banking. The Duncannon National Bank was the first National Bank established in the county and started operations January 1, 1890. Its president was John . . . — — Map (db m119949) HM
1889-1926 Duncannon National Bank
1926-1936 Perry Co. Telephone and Telegraph Company
1936-1963 The United Telephone Company of Penna.
1963- Duncannon Presbyterian Church — — Map (db m119955) HM
The two-story brick schoolhouse was built in 1873 at the corner of High and Maple Streets at a cost of $9275. The cupola contained a two-hundred pound bell from VanDusen and Tift of Cincinnati. All grades used the four-room school until it closed . . . — — Map (db m242160) HM
Once lined with shade trees and featuring a public fountain in the town green, the Duncannon Square has been the center of activity since the very beginning.
The square featured the National Hotel in the northwest corner and the Laird Hotel in . . . — — Map (db m119912) HM
The Wister Mansion was at the intersection of New Bloomfield Road and Main Street, now the location of the American Legion. It was the home of John Wister who at age 14 became an errand boy at the Duncannon Iron Works and rose to become its . . . — — Map (db m119906) HM
On February 4, 1887 a charter was granted by the Commonwealth for the construction of the Perry County Railroad from Duncannon to New Bloomfield. On September 12, 1889 the first locomotive entered New Bloomfield. The Duncannon Station sat just to . . . — — Map (db m119908) HM
In
the Church at the Mouth of the Juniata
the forerunner of
the Duncannon Presbyterian Church
the
first Sunday School in Perry County
was organized in 1821
and has had practically a continual existence . . . — — Map (db m119953) HM
Produced between 1904 and 1988 by the Standard Novelty Works, located here. In 1920 the plant was credited with producing more children's sleds than any other U.S. factory; its capacity was then 1,600 to 1,800 per day. The company also made . . . — — Map (db m19711) HM
The railroad steamed into Duncannon in 1848 and was a major factor in the growth and development of the area. In the mid-1800s the railroad ran through the center of town on Apple Tree Alley. Around 1865 the earliest station was built at the corner . . . — — Map (db m119919) HM
A large industrial complex existed from the base of the mountain to Little Juniata Creek known as the Duncannon Iron Works. A single iron forge was built in 1827 by Stephen Duncan and John Mahon. In 1832 it was operated by John Johnson & Co. until . . . — — Map (db m119941) HM
This Division was built in 1828-33. It extended to the eastern end of the Allegheny Portage Railroad at Hollidaysburg, a distance of 127 miles. Just west of here, the Canal crossed the Juniata by an aqueduct which was used until 1901. Abutment and . . . — — Map (db m19541) HM
This State-owned artificial water-way system, built 1826-1834, was designed to connect points like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie in a vast inland trade. It embraced six chief canal divisions and two railroads. Here the Susquehanna, Juniata, and . . . — — Map (db m19708) HM
Built 1823-31; operated until 1901. It extended from Duncan's Island to Northumberland. In its 41-mile course, the Division embraced 13 locks, 7 aqueducts, old Shamokin Dam, and West Branch Towpath Bridge. Traces of the Canal can be seen at points . . . — — Map (db m19709) HM
1972: Little Buffalo State Park dedicated.
1982: Perry County Council of the Arts formed.
1995: First McDonald's opened in Howe Township.
2010: First county traffic light installed in Marysville.
2020: . . . — — Map (db m242126) HM
1804: First academy established at Duncannon.
1834: Free School Act of Pennsylvania passed.
1838: New Bloomfield Academy chartered.
1840: Willow Grove Female Seminary established.
ca. 1842: African American settlement near Millerstown.
1850: Fugitive Slave Act enacted; Compromise of 1850.
1852: First fair by the Agricultural Society of Perry County
1756: French & Indian War began.
1756-1763: Indians drove settlers form Shermans Valley.
1766: Donegal Presbytery authorized Perry County congregations.
Scotch-Irish settlers moved north from Carlisle . . . — — Map (db m242040) HM
1929: Stock market crash.
1932: PA unemployment at 35%. Banks fail nationwide.
1933: President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated New Deal.
1935: Social Security enacted.
After WW I ended, industrial . . . — — Map (db m242106) HM
1961-1963: PA law required school district consolidation.
1969: First men on the moon.
1983: First mobile phone cost $4000.
1989: International protocol enabled the World Wide Web
1775: Revolutionary War began.
1776: Independence declared.
1781: Battle of Yorktown ended the fighting.
1783: Treaty of Paris recognized US independence.
Many Perry Countians served in the . . . — — Map (db m242042) HM
1862-1863: Prominent Perry Countian A. L. McClure advised President Lincoln.
1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued.
1865: Robert E. Lee surrendered and Civil War ended.
As the end of June 1863, . . . — — Map (db m242079) HM
① Adair's Bridge, 1864, Shermans Creek, refurbished 2007.
② Bastline Bridge, 1871, Shermans Creek, refurbished 2007.
③ Book's Bridge, 1884, Shermans Creek, rebuilt 2004.
④ Clay's Bridge, 1890, Little Buffalo Creek, . . . — — Map (db m242041) HM
1866: First bank organized in New Bloomfield.
1869: First water company organized in Blain.
1891: First telephone line strung between Newport and Loysville.
1898: Newport Square lit by electricity.
1821: Harrisburg & Millerstown Turnpike chartered.
1829: Pennsylvania Canal opened through Perry County.
1849: Pennsylvania Railroad completed through Perry County.
The building of turnpikes, . . . — — Map (db m242054) HM
16,000 years ago: Native Americans arrived in North America
11,000 years ago: Paleoindians settled in Perry County
1,000 years ago: Maize farming villages . . . — — Map (db m242037) HM
David Gring, builder of the Newport and Sherman's Valley Railroad, installed these lions in front of his East Newport mansion in the 1880s. They were carved by Adolph V. and William David Hombach at their Marble and Granite works on South Front . . . — — Map (db m242084) HM
Made possible in part from the generous gifts of:
Allen E. Hench, Esq. of Newport Borough | Connie L. Hench Houch of Penn Township
Kirk R. Hench of Saville Township
In honor of the Hench and associated families . . . — — Map (db m242036) HM
Welcome home
Perry County Vietnam Veterans
1954 - 1975
They gave all they had
Richard L. Fry
Edwin C. Hockenberry
Joseph L. Hockenberry
David S. Kline
C. Bruce Landis II
Jack I. Maguire
William B. . . . — — Map (db m242128) WM
While quiet today, Green Park once bustled with energy. Thanks to abundant clay and sand for brickmaking, reliable water power from Montour Creek and entrepreneurship residents, the area presented an ideal location for early industry. . . . — — Map (db m242133) HM
The present Green Park School is the third building on this property and is the forerunner of the current West Perry school complex. A log subscription school building was first constructed west of the present site at Green Park as early as 1815. . . . — — Map (db m242139) HM
Henry Fetter (1793-1863) constructed this Federal Period home in 1848. One of the first settlers, Fetter served as prothonotary, founding director of two schools, a captain of the Landisburg Artillery, a director of the never-built Duncannon and . . . — — Map (db m242156) HM
1752 - First legal settler, Andrew Montour
1799 - First physician, Dr. John Creigh
1820 - First Perry County Court House
1821 - First agricultural fair
1822 - First Newspaper, The Perry Forester . . . — — Map (db m242142) HM
The coursed sandstone Dunbar-Creigh House on Water Street was completed in the early 1800s. It best exemplifies the Georgian style with its symmetrical faηade, central door, multi-pane windows and molded cornice.
Built in 1896 by . . . — — Map (db m242149) HM
The early years: From 1777 to 1819, pastors from the Reformed congregation in Carlisle preached among German Reformed families in Sherman's and Fishing Creek valleys. Residents established the first churches of what became known as the . . . — — Map (db m242144) HM
Sesquicentennial
commemorating Landisburg
as the first county seat
March 22, 1970
held at
Trinity United Church
of Christ
Perry County was established by an act of the state legislature signed by
Governor William Findlay . . . — — Map (db m242145) HM
On March 22, 1820, Perry County was formed out of part of Cumberland County, and Landisburg was named the temporary county seat by an impartial panel of three people selected by Governor William Findlay.
Reflecting the pioneer beginnings of . . . — — Map (db m242140) HM
The above corner stone is from the stone school house built 1837 on lot #14 - H. Landis, stone mason.
The free public school law of 1834 was accepted in 1836 and the board of school directors built the stone school building, the first free . . . — — Map (db m242146) HM
Constructed between 1794-1809 of Pennsylvania stone, this 'bank' house has served as a residence, a legal and law office, an inn and a stage coach stop. John Dunbar purchased a lot measuring 150 feet by 60 feet from borough founder Abraham Landis . . . — — Map (db m242148) HM
Dr. Elizabeth Reifsnyder, M.D., a pioneer medical missionary to China for more than thirty years, lived in this house both before and after her work abroad. Born 1858, she died here in 1922. — — Map (db m23370) HM
To
Perry County Womanhood
as exemplified in the life of
Elizabeth Reifsnyder, M.D.
Born 1858 — Died 1922
Outstanding Woman of
Perry County's First Century . . . — — Map (db m119868) HM
"The Leading Merchants" - In 1847, Jacob and Michael B. Holman founded a mercantile business in Liverpool, PA on the Kerstetter property on Front Street. Michael early left the partnership, and Jacob later brought his two sons Park and . . . — — Map (db m119870) HM
College of Physicians and Surgeons Baltimore, Maryland 1878. A rural doctor who ministered to those in distress throughout this countryside in all hours and seasons from 1899 until his death.
Erected in gratitude by his fellow townsmen as a . . . — — Map (db m119867) HM
The only surviving ferry service across the Susquehanna began as early as 1825. boats were poled by manpower until 1873, when the first paddlewheeler was acquired. In the 1920's, gasoline engine replaced steam power, and the paddlewheels were . . . — — Map (db m23375) HM
Pioneers' stronghold built 1755 on land of George Robinson; in use for several years as refuge from Indian attacks. The site was about a mile away on the side road. — — Map (db m90726) WM
This plaque honors all the men and women of the Loysville Area who served in the Armed Forces during war and peace times but especially those who gave their lives in the fight for freedom and peace. — — Map (db m90725) WM
This memorial is dedicated to all those sons and daughters of Perry County who have served. These names recognize those who gave their lives in that service. — — Map (db m176896) WM
The longest stone masonry arch railroad bridge in the world, one mile to the south, was built 1900-02. With forty-eight arches, it has a length of 3,820 feet. This was the third bridge constructed here by the Pennsylvania Railroad. A wooden . . . — — Map (db m19540) HM
Dedicated to the memory of the boys of Marysville and vicinity who made the Supreme Sacrifice in the service of their country in World War I and World War II — — Map (db m176920) WM
Millerstown, founded in 1790 as the first borough in Perry County, has long served as a transportation hub. From the time of settlement river arks and flatboats navigated the Juniata River. As early as 1822 a stage road, called a turnpike, . . . — — Map (db m241856) HM
By the early 20th century, local farms began to offer dairy products that gradually replaced the need for a family cow. Fertile Pfoutz and Raccoon valleys provided ideal grazing conditions. Enterprising farmers stored winter ice . . . — — Map (db m241866) HM
From its beginning, Millerstown residents have enjoyed leisure activities with a community focus, including sports, music, theater, and outdoor recreation. Hunting and fishing provided family food as well as many tall tales. The Juniata River . . . — — Map (db m241865) HM
Situated at the intersection of major roads, a railroad, and a canal, Millerstown flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries. Stage coaches, horse-drawn wagons and carriages gave way to automobiles by 1913, when some Millerstown residents owned . . . — — Map (db m241860) HM
The "super highways" of the 1800s. In the mid-1800s, there was only one wagon route linking Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and it took 23 days to travel it weather permitting. Able to transport people, products and goods at a much faster pace, . . . — — Map (db m241871) HM
From its beginnings in the 18th century, Millerstown has been an important transportation hub for the area. By 1830 a stage road from Liverpool passed through Millerstown to points west, and the Juniata River canal connected the Borough to the . . . — — Map (db m241863) HM
This tablet is dedicated in the honor of those of Millerstown and vicinity who answered the call of our country and enrolled for service
1917 - 1919
★ Wilbur G. Anderson
★ Robert H. Garman
★ Edward S. Knight . . . — — Map (db m241861) WM
In 1808, the Presbyterian Church served as the first School house in Millerstown. It was adjacent to the church cemetery on "Grave Street." The Borough enlarged the school in 1834 and combined it and a Juniata River school into one . . . — — Map (db m241816) HM
The Cochran-Anspach House was built in 1821 by Isaiah Clark for Thomas Cochran, one of the first settlers of Millerstown. Cochran and his three brothers, Protestants, were forced to leave their native Ireland. After disposing of their land . . . — — Map (db m241846) HM
Early settler, tavern keeper, Indian fighter, and founder of Millerstown all describe the life of David Miller. By 1763, Miller had settled in Rye Township, Perry County, on a tract at the present-day location of Donnally Mills, where he . . . — — Map (db m241811) HM
Born of two prominent Millerstown families on October 21, 1837, James Beaver led a distinguished career in many areas of public service. His paternal grandfather, The Rev. Peter Beaver, was an itinerant Methodist minister who settled . . . — — Map (db m241852) HM
Civil War hero; Governor of Pennsylvania, 1887-91; a Superior Court judge, 1895-1905, was born in Millerstown Oct. 21, 1837. Site is marked by a plaque. His adult life was spent at Bellefonte, where he died on January 31, 1914. — — Map (db m19675) HM
Surrounded by highly productive farmland and served by good roads, the Pennsylvania Canal and the Pennsylvania Railroad, Millerstown became a commercial hub for northeastern Perry County during the 19th century.
On Cluck's Corner, at the . . . — — Map (db m241820) HM
Millerstown's first postmaster, Thomas Cochran who arrived in 1801, built many of the fine stone houses which still stand. The Millerstown borough was officially created and a town council formed in 1848. The chief burgess was Abraham Addams and . . . — — Map (db m241854) HM
Reverend Simon Pile, a circuit rider within The Juniata Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church, first brought Methodism to Millerstown in 1784. Early gatherings probably were in private dwellings or the open air.
In 1832, services moved . . . — — Map (db m241804) HM
For thousands of years, Native Americans built villages along the fertile Cocolamus Creek and Juniata Riverlands with havens for hunting and rich land for agriculture. Likewise, early pioneers, recognizing opportunities here, warranted land in . . . — — Map (db m241815) HM
On this site in 1800 brothers William, Caleb and Joshua North of a prominent local family, constructed the Rock Oak Tannery the town's first industry. After a business sojourn in Thompsontown, the brothers returned in 1814, enlarged the . . . — — Map (db m241853) HM
This tablet is dedicated in honor of those of Millerstown and vicinity who answered the call of our country and enrolled for service
[Honored Dead]
Wilbur G. Anderson Robert H. Garman
Edward S. Knight Walter A. Smith
[Honor Roll of . . . — — Map (db m53676) HM
A military school since 1919, it is the oldest in Pennsylvania. Originally Bloomfield Academy, founded in 1837. Owned 1914-21 by Theodore K. Long and renamed as a memorial to his son, William Carson Long. First building, "The Maples" was completed . . . — — Map (db m23364) HM
This tablet is erected
in memory of
Donald Campbell Willard
University of Pennsylvania, A.B. 1910
in recognition of his loyal service
as first president of
Carson Long Institute — — Map (db m53661) HM
In 1832, a Governor's commission tasked with establishing a centrally located, permanent seat for Perry County government, accepted George Barnett's donation of eight acres in what became New Bloomfield. With the construction of a courthouse in . . . — — Map (db m242035) HM
