Discover Middletown: History and Culture in Pennsylvania

Middletown, Pennsylvania, combines early local history with tangible insights into local culture. The community was settled on the banks of the Susquehanna River and established in 1755; it is considered the oldest community in Dauphin County. This historical setting offers several distinct points of interest for planning your trip: a toy artifact on display, a synagogue with a long history, notable buildings on South Union Street, and a round trip along Swatara Creek.

Museums and Local History

The Middletown Historic Museum is located at 29 E Main St., Middletown. Among the objects on display there is a wooden “Mickey Mouse” artifact. It was made by the Performo Toy Company, which was formerly based in Middletown.

The Middletown Area Historical Society Museum is open Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., as well as on specially announced days. This time slot is a useful reference point if you’d like to include the museum in your stay: the stated opening hours apply for a Wednesday morning, while other opening days are announced separately. This makes a visit to the museum a concrete part of your plans, rather than just a general reference to local history.

Synagogue and Historic Buildings

The B’nai Jacob Synagogue was built in 1906 by Middletown’s Jewish community. It is considered the oldest continuously used synagogue in Dauphin County. Its construction date, community, and continued use make it a distinct part of the town’s history. If you’re especially interested in religious history, you can take this into account when choosing what to explore.

Liberty Band Hall and Swatara Ferry House stand next to each other on South Union Street. The Ferry House is also known as “Old Fort” and is considered the only known surviving example of this building type in Dauphin County. This part of Middletown’s history offers a different perspective from the museum or synagogue: the focus here is on two named buildings and the Ferry House’s architectural type.

A Ride Along Swatara Creek and Getting Your Bearings

The Milk & Honey Express offers an 11-mile round trip along Swatara Creek. It departs from the station in Middletown, which dates to 1891. The distance refers to the length of the round trip; it gives you a concrete sense of the ride on offer without implying how long it takes. If you’d like to plan a ride along the creek during your stay, you can consider this as a separate activity alongside Middletown’s historical attractions.

At the Milk & Honey Express station, you’ll find a ticket counter, a gift shop, and modern ADA-compliant restrooms.

Your interests can guide your choice of a vacation rental in Middletown: if you’d like to focus on local and religious history, the museum, synagogue, and historic buildings are good topics to explore. If you’re mainly interested in a ride by the water, consider including the Milk & Honey Express in your plans.

Discover More Places

More places to discover: Dauphin, Oberlin, Halifax, Grantville, Hummelstown, Hershey and Harrisburg.

Back to the main travel overview: Dauphin.