City Name :: Lebanon, PA
Population :: 48,206
Established :: 1720
Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, 26 miles east of Harrisburg and 29 miles west of Reading in Pennsylvania.
The original German settlers tilled the valley's fertile soil, creating an economic base that continues today and blends with the residential, commercial and industrial development presently occurring. Also reflective of Lebanon County's "Pennsylvania Dutch" heritage are its pastoral landscape, attractive farms and outstanding dairy and pork products. Formerly home to a major steel mill operated by Bethlehem Steel, Lebanon has developed service industries and healthcare to add to its manufacturing sector.
Lebanon was first settled in 1720 by early settlers, many with the family names of "Steitz" and "Light", along a creek that was then named "Steitz Creek". The Light patriarchs built an Indian Fort and named it "Light's Fort" during this time. The town was laid out in 1753.
An infamous 19th-century murder in nearby Fort Indiantown Gap resulted in a trial of six defendants who all had blue eyes. They became known as the Blue Eyed Six, given the moniker by a newspaper reporter who was attending the trial. Their murder trial, held in the county courthouse in Lebanon, received worldwide publicity and inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while he was writing "The Red-Headed League".
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