Steelton, PA Insights: Population,
Zip Codes, Influence, and Service Areas
After initial habitation by Susquehannock Indians and subsequent nearby Harrisburg 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. This particular site was favored because of the location's proximity to the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Pennsylvania Canal, 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 was chosen to build the mill along the Susquehanna River, 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, by 1871 it had changed to "Steel Works" after the existence of another Baldwin, Pennsylvania 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, ArcelorMittal, and currently Cleveland-Cliffs. Also present at one time were brickyards, a flouring mill, and machine shops.
Zip Codes in Steelton, PA that we also serve: 17113
