Lebanon Valley Economic Development Corporation
About Lebanon Valley
History
Originally occupied by the Algonquin Indian tribes (Lenni Lenape, Iroquis and Shawnee), the Lebanon Valley was included in a land grant from King Charles II of England to William Penn in 1681. In pamphlets that were distributed extensively throughout the Rhine River Valley, Pennsylvania was described as a haven for those seeking religious tolerance and cheap land. A significant number of Germanic peoples moved to this area from Germantown, which is now a part of Philadelphia. Here, they discovered the agricultural richness of the Lebanon Valley. One of the first settlements was north of present-day Annville, organized in 1733 near Hill Lutheran Church. The Union Canal, connecting the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers, greatly enhanced travel throughout the area, and was replaced by railroads in the mid-1800s.
State highways 322 and 422 were chartered in 1803, and provided area farmers with improved access to markets in Philadelphia and Lancaster. Lebanon County was officially formed on February 16, 1813.