Pennsylvania Counties: History and Information

Find a brief history of Pennsylvania Counties

Pennsylvania's 67 counties were formed between 1682 when William Penn divided the lands granted to him by King Charles II of England into the three original counties of Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester and 1878 when Lackawanna County, the youngest county, was created. The other 63 counties were formed by special or local acts. These acts were passed by the Provincial Assembly while Pennsylvania was a colony and by the General Assembly from 1775, when Pennsylvania became a Commonwealth, until 1874. Since the State Constitution of 1874 prohibited the passage of special or local legislation, Lackawanna County, the only remaining county to be created, was formed by decree of court under the authority of a general law (P. L. 17 of 1878.