Dauphin County - Before the Revolution


Indigenous History

Long before European settlers arrived, the land that would become Dauphin County was home to many indigenous tribes.  The river itself gets its name from the Susquehannock people, an Iroquoian-speaking nation who thrived along the banks of the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers. This region, nestled within the Atlantic Flyway, served as a seasonal migration route for countless species of waterfowl, providing the Susquehannock with ample resources for food, trade, and cultural life. Its strategic location made it a hub for intertribal commerce, where native groups exchanged furs, tools, and stories.

Archaeological evidence and oral histories indicate that this area was more than a place of sustenance: It was a vibrant meeting ground where ideas and traditions were shared across vast distances. Though the Susquehannock's influence waned in the 17th century due to conflict and disease introduced by European contact, their legacy endures in the region's landscape and place


Native Nations

Further Reading: Susquehannock and Indigenous History
  • Susquehanna River Basin Commission – The Susquehannocks 
    - A detailed primer about the Susquehannock people—their history, culture, and disappearance.
     
  • Native Land Digital
    - An interactive map showing Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties. You can zoom into the Susquehanna River area for more context.
     
  • Susquehanna National Heritage Area
    - Learn more about the Susquehannock people through a series of videos

Strategic Trading Post

In the early 1700s, colonial settlers began arriving, drawn by the river's commercial potential and fertile lands. Among them was John Harris, Sr., who established a ferry and trading post near present-day Harrisburg. His enterprise quickly became a vital crossing point on the frontier, facilitating movement and commerce between eastern cities and the expanding settlements to the west.

As tensions between colonial powers grew, the region became strategically important during the French and Indian War (1754–1763). British authorities and Pennsylvania colonial leaders established a series of forts and blockhouses throughout the Susquehanna Valley to protect settlers and trade routes from French and Native American incursions. These military outposts not only defended the frontier but also laid the groundwork for permanent European-American communities in central Pennsylvania.

John Harris Sr.

Further Reading: Colonial Settlers, John Harris, and Frontier Forts

 

Tensions Rise

By the 1760s and early 1770s, Dauphin County’s settlers (many of whom were Scots-Irish, German, and English) found themselves increasingly entangled in the larger political and economic struggles between the colonies and the British Crown. Local grievances over taxation, land rights, and governance mirrored those brewing throughout the Thirteen Colonies. The Paxton Boys uprising of 1763, which began in the Harrisburg area, was one of the earliest expressions of frontier discontent with colonial authority, revealing a growing resistance to distant rule.

As revolutionary fervor swept across Pennsylvania, the region’s residents organized local militias, participated in Continental Congress activities, and ultimately contributed troops, supplies, and leadership to the Revolutionary War effort. Dauphin County’s role in the Revolution was rooted in the alliances, tensions, and community structures that had been forming for decades along the river that shaped its identity.

 

Further Reading:

Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia – Paxton Boys

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American Battlefield Trust – Pennsylvania in the Revolution

 

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