Stewartstown

History

There were settlers in the Stewartstown area as early as 1750. This part of southern York County was claimed by both Maryland and Pennsylvania, and the boundary dispute was settled by the surveying of the Mason–Dixon line in 1767. By 1777, a road had been well established between York and Baltimore, and Stewartstown's main street of today lies along a portion of the road. Around 1812, a group of farmers set out to establish a town in south central Hopewell Township. The earliest buildings were several houses, a workshop for making furniture and wheels, a store, and a tavern. Anthony Stewart, owner of the workshop, served as the village clerk, and his shop became the main meeting place. The village was first known as Meadstown, after Benedict Meads, owner of the tavern and the store. Later it became known as Mechanicsburg because of a large number of tradesmen who lived in the community. By 1828, the town had its own post office, and Stewart was appointed the first postmaster. There was already another Pennsylvania town named Mechanicsburg, so postal officials assigned the name "Guilford" to the community. Through the efforts of Anthony Stewart, with the help of Judge Adam Ebaugh, the Post Office Department changed the town's postmark to "Stewartstown" on March 24, 1832. The Stewartstown Engine House, Stewartstown Railroad and Stewartstown Railroad Station are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Stewartstown is located at (39.754106, -76.593181). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,349
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,677
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  8,593
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  8,402
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  8,109
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,900
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,451
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,371

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-10-27
  4 km E of Riverside, Maryland
• M 2.6 — 2021-06-25
  2 km SE of Woodlawn, Maryland
• M 2.81 — 2019-09-15
  5 km ESE of East Berlin, Pennsylvania
• M 2.64 — 2015-01-25
  4 km ESE of Downingtown, Pennsylvania
• M 3.6 — 2010-07-16
  5 km NNW of Barnesville, Maryland
• M 3.05 — 2010-06-03
  4 km ENE of Franklintown, Pennsylvania