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Philadelphia may like to stake the claim, but the denizens of York have their own claim to first capital of the newly formed United States. The York County capital seat served as the setting for the First Continental Congress from September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 after it had to flee Philadelphia because British troops were threatening that city. It was in York that the Articles of Confederation—the young nation’s first constitution—were adopted.
York also led the way in steam-power, which helped drive the Industrial Revolution. York resident Phineas Davis, a nationally famous jeweler, watchmaker, and clockmaker as well as inventor, built the US’s first iron steamboat in 1825. In 1830, Davis went on to design the first coal-burning locomotive, the York, which served as a prototype locomotive for steam trains that remained on the rails into the 1890s.
York’s third claim to fame is as the birthplace of the York Peppermint Pattie. The mint pattie covered in rich dark chocolate originated in 1940 at the York Cone Company, founded in 1920 under Henry Kessler. In 1988 the York Peppermint Pattie joined the Hershey brand. Some 1.5 billion patties are made (and enjoyed!) a year. Be sure to have one on February 11th—National Peppermint Pattie Day!
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