Estherton is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and neighborhood in

Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Susquehanna Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,736 at the time of the 2020 census. This represents a 9.8% increase from the 2000 census count of 21,895. Susquehanna Township has the postal ...

, United States, and a part of the

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

area. It is situated on the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, just north of the city of Harrisburg and above the Montrose Park neighborhood but below the

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

neighborhood within Susquehanna Township.

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...

runs through the community to the

George N. Wade Memorial Bridge The George N. Wade Memorial Bridge, also known as the North Bridge, carries Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania, Interstate 81 (I-81) and the Capital Beltway (Harrisburg), Capital Beltway across the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Bridge ...

History

Estherton was founded as Coxestown, or Coxtown, in 1756 by Dr. John Cox Jr. after his wife, Esther. It was the second town laid out in Dauphin County, after Middletown. In 1779, Estherton was used as a supply depot during the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Genocide) was a United States military campaign during the American Revolutionary War, lasting from June to October 1779 ...

. This continued furthermore as the town was a port of call as goods were transported down the river. In 1800, Methodist families formed the Coxestown Methodist Episcopal Church, which would be moved and renamed many times to what is currently St. Marks United Methodist Church. Before 1828 the "Coxestown Inn" was formed and was a popular visit for those passing by with the river trade, and would develop a notorious reputation as a rowdy roadhouse that continued through the era of automobile parties; it was later raided by Prohibition Agents before finally burning down in 1926. In the early 1970s Interstate 81 was built through the area.

Notes

References

{{authority control Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area Unincorporated communities in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania