Lewistown

Lewistown, borough (town), seat (1789) of Mifflin county, south-central Pennsylvania, U.S., on the Juniata River, 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Harrisburg. Opened for settlement (1754) by a treaty with the Iroquois, it was laid out in 1790 on the site of the Shawnee Indian village, Ohesson. It was one of the state’s pioneering iron-manufacturing centres and was named for William Lewis, an early ironmaster. Nearby Fort Granville was built by settlers in 1755 and destroyed the following year in the French and Indian War. Lewistown became an important shipping point with the opening of the Pennsylvania Canal in 1829.

Diversified farming and manufactures (steel products, farm machinery, textiles and apparel, and metal doors) form its economic base. The Greenwood Furnace (restored early ironworks) and Reeds Gap State parks, and Lewistown Narrows, a scenic gorge on the river, are nearby. Inc. 1795. Pop. (2000) 8,998; (2010) 8,338.