Towns & Villages
Duncannon – A Trail Through Time
In 1792 a small town was planned at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers on the western most point of the Susquehanna. The new settlement was called Petersburg and later reincorporated as Duncannon. The small town developed into a great industrial center with the Duncannon Iron Works stretching from the base of Cove Mountain to the Little Juniata Creek. Today little remains from that massive complex but many of the residential and commercial buildings remain. Walking the town streets is taking a Trail Through Time. Visit Clark’s Ferry Tavern, ca. 1788; the PRR Station; the Old Sled Works; Doyle Hotel and the Duncannon National Bank all from the early 1900s. They will take you back to an earlier and slower time. Rediscover the rich heritage of the town where the two rivers meet – Duncannon.
Marysville – 150 Years Along the Susquehanna
Nearly a century after the land was first opened for settlement the railroad surveyed a route past a small group of houses perched on a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River in Perry County. A wooden bridge was built across the river to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh by rail. In the two decades that followed the population exploded and a new town developed along the tracks. The town became an important crossroads and one of the most important rail centers in the Commonwealth. The village was known by several names but eventually the people decided to call it Marysville. In 2016 we celebrated its 150 years along the Susquehanna.
Landisburg, Loysville & Green Park
Over 250 years ago the wilderness now known as Perry County was settled by colonists from the south. Landisburg, Loysville, and Green Park were among the first areas inhabited in this new frontier. People moved here for the rich national resources, plenty of land to be cleared and farmed, and a chance to live their American dream. Green Park was an industrial center with a foundry and milling operation. Loysville was founded and grew as an educational and religious community. Landisburg was settled by those working with the Native Americans and grew into an area that tanned and preserved hides. All three villages reached their peaks in the 19th century and surprisingly remain little changed since that time. Traveling their streets today, we get a glimpse of typical Perry County community as we would have seen over a century ago.
New Bloomfield – The County Seat
Coming 2025-2026
Newport – Perry County’s Industrial Center
Coming 2026
Historic Views of Perry County – Volume 1
Our historic landmarks are disappearing. In 2014 the Dellville Covered Bridge was destroyed by arson’s fire and the Amity Hall Inn was removed after being damaged by fire several years ago. Photographs are all we have left of some our iconic structures like the vast Amity Hall complex – now totally gone. In this volume of Historic Views over 300 photographs are presented to preserve these important treasures for generations to come. Some of the structures and places can still be seen while others only survive on these pages. Come take a step back in time and see how life was lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. Take a virtual tour of Perry County experienced by our ancestors and appreciate their accomplishments in a much different world.
Historic Views of Perry County – Volume 2
Imagine a life where you have to provide your own fuel for heat and to provide food for your family without a trip to the store. Imagine no electricity, no phones, no motorized equipment, and no transportation other than your own two feet. What would life be like with no refrigeration, no running water, no flush toilets, little medical care and where only a fortunate few could read or write? Historic Views of Perry County allows us to experience the sights of the past – many gone forever except within these pages. Put yourself in these pictures and imagine what it must have been like for our grandparents, great-grandparents and other ancestors who transformed a wild hostile land and made it into the Perry County we know and love today. They harnessed our streams, cleared our fields, and built new transportation systems, schools and centers of worship. While doing all that they survived the worst that Mother Nature could supply. History lives with us every day in Perry County – it is right under our feet. Travel back in time and see how this remarkable and beautiful place was created – you will be amazed!
