Forty Fort, Pennsylvania

Forty Fort, Pennsylvania
Borough
Forty Fort Borough Hall
Location of Forty Fort in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Forty Fort Show map of Pennsylvania Forty Fort Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°17′0″N75°52′24″W / 41.28333°N 75.87333°W / 41.28333; -75.87333
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Luzerne
Settled	1778
Incorporated	1887
Government
• Body	Borough Council
• Mayor	Brian Thomas (D) [1]
Area [2]
• Total	1.52 sq mi (3.93 km2)
• Land	1.30 sq mi (3.38 km2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.55 km2)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	4,239
• Density	3,248.28/sq mi (1,253.71/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code	18704
Area code	570
FIPS code	42-26880
Website	www.fortyfort.org

Forty Fort is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,233 at the 2020 census. ^[4] Its neighbors are Wyoming (to the north), Plains Township (to the east), Kingston (to the south), and Swoyersville (to the west). The Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport and the Wyoming Seminary Lower School are both located in the borough.

History

Revolutionary War

In 1770, forty settlers from Westmoreland County, Connecticut, established a fort along the Susquehanna River in the area now known as Forty Fort Borough. Before the American Revolutionary War, both Connecticut and Pennsylvania claimed this territory, as Connecticut laid claim to a wide swath of land to its west based on its colonial charter. These competing claims triggered the Pennamite-Yankee Wars but were resolved after the Revolutionary War when the federal government awarded the contested territory to Pennsylvania. ^[5]

During the Revolutionary War, a force of Loyalist soldiers and Haudenosaunee warriors arrived in the Wyoming Valley on June 30, 1778. On July 1, Fort Wintermoot and Fort Jenkins surrendered. Demands for Forty Fort to surrender were rebuked. On July 3, roughly 300 Patriot militia and 60 Continentals under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zebulon Butler sallied from Forty Fort. In the ensuing Battle of Wyoming, commonly known as the Wyoming Massacre, about 300 Americans were killed. ^[6]

The next morning, July 4, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Denison agreed to surrender Forty Fort and two smaller forts, along with what remained of the militia. The Loyalist commander paroled them on their promise to take no part in further hostilities. None of the inhabitants were injured after the surrender, although some had their personal effects plundered. ^[7] In 1900, a large stone was placed at the end of Fort Street, in Forty Fort Borough, by the Daughters of the American Revolution to mark the approximate location of Forty Fort. ^[8]

Post-Revolutionary War

In the years following the Revolutionary War, Forty Fort became home to both the Nathan Denison House (built around 1790) and the Forty Fort Meetinghouse (built in 1806–08), which is located in the borough's cemetery. Forty Fort was officially incorporated as a borough in 1887. The borough later became home to the Lower School of the Wyoming Seminary and a portion of the southern end of the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport.

Flooding

In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused the Susquehanna River to overflow its banks. In Forty Fort, a portion of the levee protecting the town broke. This caused millions of dollars in damage to Forty Fort and the surrounding communities. ^[9] In addition to structural damage, the Forty Fort Cemetery was heavily affected when over 2,000 caskets were washed away. ^[10] Recovered bodies were eventually buried in a mass grave with a monument marking the 1972 flood's damage. In September 2011, the borough’s levee system was once again put to the test when Tropical Storm Lee caused severe flooding throughout the Wyoming Valley. However, this time the levee held, and the town was preserved from the catastrophe it witnessed in 1972.

• 
  Denison House
• 
  Forty Fort Meetinghouse
• 
  US 11 in Forty Fort (circa 1940)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), of which 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km²) of it, or 16.58%, is water. ^[11] Forty Fort hugs the western bank of the Susquehanna River just north of Wilkes-Barre. Its neighbors are Wyoming (to the north), Plains Township (to the east), Kingston (to the south), and Swoyersville (to the west). Forty Fort is built on a floodplain and is protected by a levee system. In the 1972 flood, the levee broke and the neighboring Susquehanna River flooded much of the town. During the 2011 flood, the levee system was once again put to the test. However, this time it held, and the borough was preserved.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	478		—
1890	1,031		115.7%
1900	1,557		51.0%
1910	2,353		51.1%
1920	3,389		44.0%
1930	6,224		83.7%
1940	6,293		1.1%
1950	6,173		−1.9%
1960	6,431		4.2%
1970	6,114		−4.9%
1980	5,590		−8.6%
1990	5,049		−9.7%
2000	4,579		−9.3%
2010	4,214		−8.0%
2020	4,233		0.5%
2021 (est.)	4,225	[4]	−0.2%
Sources: [12] [13] [14] [3]

As of the census ^[13] of 2000, there were 4,579 people, 1,989 households, and 1,261 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,418.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,319.8/km²). There were 2,098 housing units at an average density of 1,566.2 per square mile (604.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.47% White, 0.50% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 1,989 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $40,306, and the median income for a family was $50,667. Males had a median income of $36,696 versus $29,199 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,558. About 5.4% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Forty Fort has a mayor/council form of government. The borough's council consists of seven elected members. Elections are split every two years (where almost half the council is up for election). At first, the mayor and three council seats are up for election. Two years later, the other four council seats are up for election. This cycle repeats itself. The council acts as the legislative branch.^{[ citation needed ]} Should the office of mayor or a seat on the borough council be vacant, the council will appoint a person to fill the vacancy. ^[15]

The mayor is elected at-large to a four-year term. The mayor is primarily responsible for the public safety of the borough. One function of the office is to serve as spokesperson for the community and represent the borough at civic and social events. ^[16] The mayor also reviews each ordinance enacted by the borough council; and can sign the ordinance, veto it, or permit it to become law without signature. The mayor also has the authority to break a tie vote on borough council. Other various functions of the office include performing wedding ceremonies and administering oaths.^{[ citation needed ]}

Brian Thomas was appointed mayor by the borough council in January 2022, following the resignation of the previous mayor. ^{[16] [17]} He was elect to a shortened term in 2023. ^[18]

Education

Forty Fort is part of the Wyoming Valley West School District. There are three schools located in Forty Fort:

• Dana Street Elementary Center, a public elementary school (part of Wyoming Valley West School District)
• Wyoming Seminary Lower School, a private school suited for pre-K to eighth grade
• Apple Tree Nursery and Primary School, a private school

Infrastructure

PA 309 passing through southern Forty Fort (on left) and surrounding communities

Transportation

U.S. Route 11 (Wyoming Avenue) runs from Wyoming, through Forty Fort, and into Kingston. PA 309 runs through the southern end of Forty Fort. The borough is also home to the southern edge of the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport, a public facility serving mainly general aviation aircraft. The rest of the airport is in Wyoming.

In popular culture

Following the lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election, the town appeared in the season finale of the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver where host John Oliver jokingly reinvented the story on the origin of the Forty Fort's name. ^[19]

References

1. Kalinowski, Bob (January 24, 2022). "Forty Fort mayor appointment was a bipartisan effort" . The Citizens' Voice. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
3. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Oct 12, 2022.
4. Bureau, US Census. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
5. Moyer, Paul Benjamin (1999). Wild Yankees: Settlement, Conflict, and Localism along Pennsylvania's Northeast Frontier, 1760-1820 (PhD thesis). William & Mary University.
6. Schenawolf, Harry. "Battle of Wyoming – American Defeat or Massacre?". Revolutionary War Journal. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
7. Graymont, Barbara (1972). The Iroquois in the American Revolution . Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. p. 172.
8. Pearce, Annals of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1860)
9. Wellock, Bill. "Grim memories: Agnes cleanup included corpse recovery near cemetery". Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
10. Times, Homer Bigart Special to The New York (1972-07-30). "Wilkes‐Barre Dazed A Month After Flood (Published 1972)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-01-17.
11. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Forty Fort borough, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved April 12, 2012.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
14. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
15. Kester, Marcella (January 18, 2022). "Thomas chosen as Forty Fort's next mayor". Times Leader. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
16. "Mayor". Forty Fort Borough. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
17. WNEP Web Staff. "Forty Fort mayor steps down". WNEP-TV. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
18. "MAYOR FORTY FORT BORO (2 YEAR TERM)". Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. November 27, 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
19. Ralph Pat (16 November 2020). "John Oliver explains dangers of Trump's voter fraud lies; has fun with origins of Forty Fort's name". Philly Voice . Retrieved 16 November 2020.

External links

• Official website