Potter County, located in north central Pennsylvania, was created in 1804, on the same day as Tioga and McKean counties, all cut from the unmanageable Lycoming County to make it more manageable. The county was named for General James Potter, a hero of the Revolutionary War. Massive forests discouraged settlement, and despite the building, in 1807, of an east-west road, the official population count, was, in 1810, still only twenty-three. Potter County was legally attached to Lycoming and Mckean Counties till 1835, when it was fully recognized. Coudersport, the county seat since 1807, was fully incorporated in 1848. Commercial lumbering began in 1837, courtesy of vast forests of white pine, hemlock and hardwoods. Railroads, sawmills, tanneries grew up around lumber towns, but by the late 1800’s, the virgin white pines had been all but decimated, and the populace turned to the production of acetate, wood alcohol and charcoal.

During the Civil War, several Potter County towns were important stops along the underground railroad. Two prominent Millport businessmen, brothers John S. and Joseph Mann, were among those who played critical roles in helping runaway slaves en route to New York and Canada. An undetectable, hidden room at the back of Joseph Mann’s store became a hiding place for many along that railroad. Paper mills, glass manufacturing, farming and deep gas drilling served the county through much of the 20th century. In recent years, Potter County has become a destination point for those wishing to visit its deep forests, brilliant night skies and stunning mountaintop views. From the ‘Potter County Triple Divide Point,’ on the eastern Continental Divide, water flows north to the Great Lakes, south to the Ohio and Mississippi, and east to the Altantic.