Northumberland County

Mother of Counties

Northumberland County was established in 1772 as the tenth county of Pennsylvania. It is called the “Mother of Counties,” with 29 counties split from it over the years. Northumberland County encompassed as much as 15,000 square miles at its height. Today, it covers 470 square miles of the Susquehanna Valley. The county seat, Sunbury, was also created in 1772, while Shamokin sprouted from the increase in commerce and business in the 1830s.

Industry is intertwined with Northumberland’s history. Anthracite coal was the original natural resource in the early 1800s, used to produce iron. Other profitable industries like silk, dairy, and dress factories soon followed. Coal mining and silk production waned with the Great Depression, to be replaced by oil drilling and synthetic textiles.

Choose Your Own Adventure in Northumberland County, spend a day at Knoebels Amusement Park, or do your research with the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau.