Clinton County, Pennsylvania: History
In the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1768, new lands in Pennsylvania were purchased from the Haudenosaunee for colonial settlement, including parts of what is now Clinton County. The land was formally associated with Northumberland County, but a group of organized settlers near modern Jersey Shore elected three commissioners each March who were responsible for seeing that everyone was dealt with fairly. This became known as the Fairplay System. Most of the rulings seem to have dealt with property issues, but they dealt with any legal or criminal cases in their area. They granted permission for new settlers to enter the area, could take away a settler's land claim if they were absent more than six weeks (except for military service), and could expel a person (by setting them adrift in a canoe on the river).
The county was created on June 21, 1839, from parts of Centre and Lycoming Counties.