McKean

Formed March 26, 1804 (40^th county)

McKean County (40,426), Smethport (1,436), Bradford (7,845)

The red brick columned Georgian Revival structure was constructed in 1942.  The facility is on Main Street at State Street.  United States Highway 6 passes in front of the site.  Thomas K. Hendryx and Elby & Lyman combined on the building designs.  There were 1826 and 1851 versions earlier and the 1881 courthouse looked very similar to the current one.  McKean County was formed on March 26, 1804 from Lycoming County as the 40^th county with Smethport as the only county seat.  It is named for Governor Thomas McKean.  The county seat is named for settlers Raymond and Theodore de Smeth. 

McKean County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Four Common Pleas Court Judges and Four Magistrate Court Judges serve McKean County.  The county is on the northwest border with New York.  Erie, Pennsylvania is west and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is southwest of the county.  The county center is 1.7 miles West of Smethport.  The county is surrounded clockwise by New York and Potter, Cameron, Elk, Forest, and Warren counties. 

The area of the county is 984 square miles.  It is 12 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 52 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 41.1 persons per square mile making it 60 out of 67 in the state.  McKean County has 42.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 6 passes east to west through the county from Potter County to Warren County.  United States Highway 219 goes north to south from New York to Elk County.  McKean County is an overall rectangle.  Smethport is in the eastern third of the county.  Bradford is located near the northwest border of the county.  Smethport is the county seat and Bradford is the largest city.  Smethport is 3.6% of the county population while Bradford is 19.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Bradford Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Smethport