Two centuries ago, ground was laid for Coudersport

Potter County was founded in 1804, created by the state legislature and named as a memorial to General James Potter, an Irishborn commander who served under George Washington during the Revolution. Gen. Potter died in 1789. Photo above shows downtown Coudersport before the fire of 1880. The courthouse is a recognizable landmark.

Two centuries have passed since Indians led a surveying crew through the heavy forests to the junction of the Allegheny River and Mill Creek in central Potter County.

Surveys conducted in 1807 would pave the way for settlers to move into the area.

It's hard to envision the valley of Coudersport that confronted the explorers 200 years ago. Indians were familiar with the terrain, which was heavy forests and brush, but had for the most part settled in more fertile grounds.

They had relinquished their property rights in the "Last Purchase" treaty of 1784, signed by the Chiefs of Six Nations, conveying much of northern Pennsylvania (including the

present counties of Potter, Cameron, McKean, and Elk) to the Pennsylvania Bank. Piece by piece, the lands were sold off to investors.

One of them, John Keating f r o m Philadelphia, sent a survey crew led by Francis King into the wilderness to inspect the land. F o l l o w i n g K i n g ' s recommendation, Keating and his Ceres Land C o m p a n y purchased 300,000 acres in the present counties of McKean and Potter.

In 1807, Indians led King and his crew to the junction of the Allegheny River and Mill Creek to lay the groundwork for orderly development of a community.

A slow grower, Coudersport was not incorporated as a borough until 1848. It was named for Monsieur John Coudere, one of the Amsterdam investors who financed the Ceres Land Company.

By then, the town had about 40 homes and an estimated 200 residents. It was developing into a center of Potter County commerce, with five stores, three taverns, a tannery, a sawmill, a foundry, two doctors, two ministers and an academy.

Fire in 1880 wiped out much of the downtown area. Those brick buildings constructed after the 1880 tragedy have stood the test of time, giving Coudersport's business district a distinctive appearance.

About a century after the town was rebuilt, the shopping district was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Overhead utility lines were removed, storefronts were renovated and scenic streetlamps installed.