The first known occupancy of the Central Pennsylvania area was by the Susquehannock Indians and predated the arrival of the white man from Europe. Some evidence has been found on the West Shore area to confirm their presence, but not enough to confirm specific locations or activities other than burials.
In 1734 the land on the west shore of the Susquehanna River was opened for homesteading, and the first settlers were permitted to cross the river to legally obtain land. Trappers and Indian traders had been traveling through the valley to the west and the south for years, but they were not permitted to reside or claim land. The Penn's had previously purchased this land from the Indians, but some claims remained, and it had not been opened to the public.
White Hill is a village designation along the northern edge of Lower Allen Township, centered at the intersection of Hummel Avenue and 18th Street. Villages lack municipal boundaries, but the general area of White Hill would be considered as west of the end of the residential development in the Borough of Lemoyne on Hummel Avenue and extending westerly along the railroad track approximately one mile to the intersection of Carlisle Road and State Road. White Hill has also been used to designate the first stone house to be erected in Camp Hill, then known as Lowther Manor (Whitehill's); a railroad village started in the late 1830s; two railroad stations on two separate rail lines; and the end of the line on the streetcar run.
This village is located on Cedar Run in Lower Allen Township approximately 500 feet upstream from its confluence with the Yellow Breeches Creek. The topographic features of this site created the first interest in the area. Located in a dell cut by Cedar Run, which falls rapidly to the level of the Yellow Breeches, it offered an ideal source of water power for the operation of the early mills. In addition, there was a large spring adjacent to Cedar Run that was used by the early residents to draw their water and was reportedly also used to power one of the mills.