Since 1750, the Recorder of Deeds has maintained a permanent public record of deeds and documents related to the development, transfer, and encumbrance of real estate in Cumberland County.

In earlier days of the office, other forms of property included cattle, horses and even slaves.  Thankfully, Deed Book 1L (1794-1796) contains several manumissions of slaves. Unscathed by the courthouse fire of 1845 and securely hidden during the Confederate invasion of 1863, the records provide a unique vista on the people who formed Cumberland County. Today, Recorder of Deeds’ documents are available electronically to the public at www.landex.com.

Until the early 1970s, non-profit corporations, churches, college fraternities, lodges, etc. received their charters from the County’s Court of Common Pleas and those charters were also recorded in this office. Prior to 1929, all records were copied by hand into canvas-bound books; upon the advent of the typewriter, all documents were then typed and placed into canvas or plastic books and stored in the office for public view.