Steelton is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the populati ...

, United States, southeast of

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

. The population was 6,263 at the 2020 census. The borough is part of the

Harrisburg metropolitan area Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

History

After initial habitation by Susquehannock Indians and subsequent nearby

establishment, the area was owned by the Kelker family of Harrisburg by the 1800s. The 100-acre area was chosen in 1866 by Samuel Morse Felton Sr., president of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, to begin construction of a

steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

. This particular site was favored because of the location's proximity to the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

, the

Pennsylvania Canal The Pennsylvania Canal, sometimes known as the Pennsylvania Canal system, was a complex system of transportation infrastructure improvements, including canals, dams, Lock (water transport), locks, tow paths, Navigable aqueduct, aqueducts, and vi ...

, and the nearby iron mine in Cornwall, Lebanon County. The land was purchased from owners Henry A. and Rudolph F. Kelker; then, steel pioneer

Alexander Lyman Holley Alexander Lyman Holley ( Lakeville, Connecticut, July 20, 1832 – Brooklyn, New York, January 29, 1882) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, and founding member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He was consid ...

was chosen to build the mill along the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

, which was completed by 1867 (along with a mansion for Felton), and began operation on May 15, 1868. Originally named "Baldwin" after Matthias W. Baldwin, founder of the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

, by 1871 it had changed to "Steel Works" after the existence of another

Baldwin, Pennsylvania Baldwin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, the borough's population was 21,510 as of the 2020 census. History The borough was named for Henry Baldwin (1780–1844), a U.S. ...

Post Office, and finally "Steelton" in 1879 after confusion of the Post Office with the steel mill itself. It was incorporated as a borough on January 19, 1880. The extensive steel works of the Pennsylvania Steel Company later became operated by

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation, headquartered in Luxembourg City. It is ranked second on the list of steel producers behind Baowu, and had an annual crude steel production of 58 millio ...

, and currently Cleveland-Cliffs. Also present at one time were

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or Yard (land), yard where bricks are made, pottery firing, fired, and stored, or sometimes Commerce, sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed ...

s, a flouring mill, and

machine shop A machine shop or engineering workshop is a room, building, or company where machining, a form of subtractive manufacturing, is done. In a machine shop, machinists use machine tools and cutting tool (machining), cutting tools to make parts, usua ...

s. 19 people were killed and 199 injured, when a Baseball Special train from Harrisburg to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

derailed at Steelton on July 28, 1962. Three of the nine cars landed in the Susquehanna River. A passing

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

drill team participated in the rescue efforts.

Geography

Steelton is located in southern Dauphin County along the northeast bank of the

. It is bordered to the southeast by the borough of Highspire and to the northeast by the unincorporated communities of Enhaut and Bressler. To the northwest, the city limits of

, the state capital, come within of the borough limits of Steelton; the city center is northwest of Steelton's center. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the borough has a total area of , all land. Pennsylvania Route 230 (Front Street) is the main road through the borough, connecting Harrisburg to the northwest with Highspire and Middletown to the southeast.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 6,263 people and 2,109 households residing in Steelton. The median household income was $47,556. The percentage of persons in poverty was 16.1%. The racial makeup of the borough was 44.0% White, 45.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, and 8.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17% of the population. As of the census of 2010, there were 5,990 people. The racial makeup of the borough was 48.7% White, 38.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 5.9% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.6% of the population. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,858 people, 2,312 households, and 1,518 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,533 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 62.03%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 31.12%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.41% from other races, and 3.53% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 7.48% of the population. 15.0% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 7.7% American, 6.0% Irish, 5.7%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and 5.4% Croatian ancestry according to Census 2000. According to Census 2000, there were 2,312 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.13. In the borough the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $34,829, and the median income for a family was $39,556. Males had a median income of $30,488 versus $24,701 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $16,612. About 9.1% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or older.

Culture

Front Street in Steelton has long been the town's social center, with shops, banks, churches, restaurants and bars. In September 2017, the borough opened the first

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairw ...

in Dauphin County, which was extended again in 2020 to a total of 28,000 square feet. Skate competitions are hosted there and it is a popular draw in the region. The Steelton High School building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2011.

Education

The Borough of Steelton is served by the Steelton-Highspire School District, which contains two schools: Steelton-Highspire Elementary School and Steelton-Highspire Junior/Senior High School.

Notable people

Bull Behman Russell K. "Bull" Behman (January 15, 1900 – March 24, 1950) was an American professional football player and coach in the early National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Lebanon Valley College in 1920 and 1921, and at Dic ...

, former NFL player and coach *

Quincy Bent Quincy Bent (July 28, 1879–May 5, 1955) was an American businessman who served as vice president of Bethlehem Steel. Early life Bent was born on July 28, 1879, in Steelton, Pennsylvania, to Luther Stedman Bent, superintendent of the Pennsylvan ...

, vice president of Bethlehem Steel * Marylouise Burke, actress * Troy Drayton, former NFL and Penn State football player * Orrin C. Evans, pioneering African-American journalist and comic book publisher *

Don Falcone Don Falcone (born November 5, 1958) is an American producer and multi-instrumentalist, and the guiding light behind the Spirits Burning space-rock collective. In Spirits Burning and other offshoot bands and projects, his primary collaborations ...

, musician and producer * Ottie Beatrice Graham, writer * Jordan Hill, defensive tackle for Penn State and

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

to Seattle Seahawks * Marne Intrieri, football offensive lineman * Homer Litzenberg, lieutenant general * Walter M. Mumma, congressman * Allen Sangree, sports writer and war journalist * Frank Sinkovitz, football center * Dennis Stewart, basketball player *

John Yovicsin John Michael Yovicsin (October 17, 1918 – September 13, 1989) was an American college football coach and player. He played college football at Gettysburg College from 1937 to 1939 and then professionally with Philadelphia Eagles of the Nation ...

, football player and coach * Bryce Carter, football player

References

External links

*
Historical Society of Dauphin County

{{authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Susquehanna River Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area Boroughs in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1866 1880 establishments in Pennsylvania