[4] When colonial settlers first arrived in what is now Porter Township, they were outside the western boundary of what was then the Province of Pennsylvania.

These men established their own form of government, known as the "Fair Play System", with three elected commissioners who ruled on land claims and other issues for the group.

In a remarkable coincidence, the Fair Play Men made their own Declaration of Independence from Britain on July 4, 1776, beneath the "Tiadaghton Elm" on the banks of Pine Creek.

Homes and fields were abandoned, with livestock driven along and a few possessions floated on rafts on the river east to Muncy, then further south to Sunbury.

Sullivan's Expedition helped stabilize the area and encouraged resettlement, which continued after the war.

[4] Dr. James Davidson, a veteran of the American Revolution, serving as a doctor for General Anthony Wayne's army, was one of the first and most successful settlers in the Porter Township area.

After several years in that vicinity he bought a farm along the West Branch Susquehanna River in what is now western Lycoming County.

[4] The Bridge in Porter Township was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

U.S. Route 220 crosses the center of the township, along the northern boundary with Jersey Shore; it leads east 15 miles (24 km) to Williamsport, the county seat, and southwest 12 miles (19 km) to Lock Haven.