Ceres
Ceres Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
One mile south of here the first permanent white settlement within present McKean County was made in 1798 by Francis King, agent and surveyor for the John Keating land company of Philadelphia.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1798 Francis King, a surveyor and agent for the Philadelphia land company of John Keating, established what became the first permanent white settlement within present-day McKean County, a mile south of here. Land companies like Keating's were the engines of settlement in this era, buying up vast tracts and dispatching agents to survey lots and draw in pioneers. King's work opened this rugged corner of northern Pennsylvania to lasting settlement.
Why it matters
It marks the first foothold of permanent settlement in a county, showing how speculative land companies drove the westward push into the Pennsylvania wilderness.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Pioneer Oil Museum6.9 mi away
Attractions
- Triangle 1 Monument14.3 mi away
Food & drink
- Sprague's Maple Farms4.3 mi away · 1048 Portville-Obi Road, Portville, NY
- Subway4.4 mi away · 109 Oswayo Street, Shinglehouse, PA
- American Legion post 8146.9 mi away
- Chef Bar And Grill6.9 mi away
- Four Mile Brewing, LLC9.6 mi away · 202 East Green Street, Olean, NY
- Old Library Restaurant9.9 mi away · 116 South Union Street, Olean, NY
Places to stay
- Old Library Inn B&B9.9 mi away · 120 South Union Street
- Holiday Inn Express10.3 mi away · 101 Main Street, Olean, NY
- Hampton Inn & Suites10.9 mi away · 110 Jack Murphy Boulevard, Olean, NY
- Best Western Plus University Inn11.5 mi away · 3057 Route 417, Olean, NY
- Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Olean/Allegany12.1 mi away · 3234 West State Street, Olean, NY
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Olean12.2 mi away · 3270 West State Street, Olean, NY
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · Francis King
- · John Keating
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Mt. Equity Plantation
Annin Township, PA · est. 1949
In 1805 Thomas McKean—a signer of the Declaration of Independence and then governor of Pennsylvania—purchased a 299-acre tract here, and the county was later named in his honor. The estate's name, Mt. Equity, reflected a bare-knuckle land struggle: Pennsylvania sought to strengthen its claim to lands that settlers from Connecticut also claimed, part of the long Pennamite dispute over the Susquehanna country. Buying in gave Pennsylvania greater "equity of power" in the contested region.
Smethport
Smethport, PA · est. 1949
Smethport has served as the seat of McKean County since 1807, when land agent Francis King laid out its town lots amid the northern Pennsylvania wilderness. Growth came slowly on this rugged frontier: Arnold Hunter raised the first cabin in 1811, but lasting settlement waited until 1822, and the first courthouse rose in 1827. The town's steady establishment reflects the patient, hard-won process of settling the region.
Lymansville
Coudersport, PA · est. 1947
The first settlement in this rugged region took root in 1808, planted by Major Isaac Lyman, a land agent and veteran of the Revolutionary War. Around his pioneer holding grew the essential institutions of frontier life: the area's first saw and grist mills, its first post office, and its first court. Lymansville became the seedbed from which the wider settlement of the county followed.
Allegheny River
Allegany Township, PA · est. 1947
High in Potter County rises the modest headwater of the Allegheny, a river whose importance far outstrips its quiet source. For centuries it carried Native travelers, and later French and British traders and westward-bound settlers, deep into the interior. Winding hundreds of miles to Pittsburgh, it joins the Monongahela to form the mighty Ohio, one of the great arteries of the American continent.