View of the Susquehanna River from the top of Second Mountain. The town of Dauphin is on the right. Stony Creek joins the river just above the small island on the right. The elevation of Dauphin is 327 feet.
This area was settled by Samuel Sturgeon before 1770. Green's Mill occupied this site in 1770. The town was laid out as Port Lyon, in 1826, by Innis Green for the Dauphin and Schuylkill Coal Company. It supported several nearby coal mines that were from 100 to 500 feet deep. Both hard and soft coal were mined. The town was often called Greensburg before the Borough was incorporated as Dauphin on March 31, 1845.
The town was a key stop on the Pennsylvania Canal which began operation in 1829. The rocky point of Second Mountain just let the canal squeeze between it and the river - thus the name "Dauphin Narrows".
In 1846, the village had about 100 dwellings, two stores, four taverns, two churches, two schools and a large tannery.
In November of 1902, the Pennsylvania Canal between Columbia and Clark's Ferry was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad from the state for $245,000.