Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Luzerne |
Area | |
• Total | 16.43 sq mi (42.55 km2) |
• Land | 15.93 sq mi (41.25 km2) |
• Water | 0.50 sq mi (1.30 km2) |
Population | |
• Total | 1,712 |
• Estimate (2021) [2] | 1,709 |
• Density | 111.59/sq mi (43.08/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
FIPS code | 42-079-61656 |
Plymouth Township is located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2020 census. [2]
Plymouth Township was formed in December 1768 by the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut; it was one of the five original townships in the Wyoming Valley. Each township was five square miles. It was enlarged in 1790 to include what is now Jackson Township, but reduced in 1844 by the formation of Jackson as a separate township, and in 1877 by the formation of Hunlock Township. Further reductions occurred when Plymouth Borough was incorporated in 1866, and Larksville Borough was incorporated in 1909. The western half of Edwardsville Borough was annexed from Plymouth Township in 1884. [3]
In 1769, the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut allotted lands in Plymouth Township to forty settlers. The growth of the township's population was very slow. The first settlements were in and around present-day Plymouth Borough. The township was governed by an elected board of three men. The first mills in Plymouth Township were built in 1780. In 1834, Jameson Harvey built the first schoolhouse in the lower end of the township (near the mouth of Harveys Creek). [4]
From 1769 to 1785, the Connecticut settlers in Plymouth were harassed on a regular basis by the Pennamites, Native Americans, and Tories. A series of clashes, which were part of the Revolutionary War and the Pennamite-Yankee Wars, occurred between the multiple parties. During the Revolutionary War, the settlers erected a small fortification on "Garrison Hill," in the lower portion of modern-day Plymouth Borough. The fort saw action in defending the colonists from Native American raids. [6]
Nearly fifty men from Plymouth took part in the disastrous Battle of Wyoming (in 1778). Many of the men were slain in the fight. The women and children of Plymouth Township fled down the Susquehanna River on the night of the battle. As soon as the British left the region, the settlers moved back to the township. They had to rebuild what was destroyed by the British (Tories) and Native Americans. Native American raids continued well after the battle. On November 17, 1778, John Perkins was killed in the lower end of the township. At least three settlers were killed and one was captured in March 1779. Native American raids like these continued in the coming years. [7]
In March 1783, a massive ice flood on the Susquehanna River struck Plymouth. Nearly all the buildings on “Garrison Hill” were swept away. Reverend Benjamin Bidlack was carried away with his house. After being tossed around by the current and huge pieces of ice throughout the night, he managed to reach higher ground on the lower end of Shawnee Flats (in Plymouth Township). After the flood, the Pennamites were determined to expel the Connecticut settlers from the territory. The colonists were driven from their homes by soldiers. Several of the Connecticut settlers died along the journey. [8]
This cruel act aroused empathy amongst the people of Pennsylvania in favor of the Connecticut settlers. The authorities of the state directed for the settlers to repossess their lands. The settlers gradually moved back to the Wyoming Valley. However, before reentering the valley, they halted on the mountains overlooking Wilkes-Barre. They sent forward a small group of men to see if it were safe to reenter the valley. Alexander Patterson, the civil magistrate of Wilkes-Barre, detained the men, who were then beaten with iron ramrods. Despite these actions, the settlers proceeded cautiously to their homes. Once the settlers returned home, Patterson's men attacked. The skirmish occurred on the western slope of Ross Hill. It's believed that at least two settlers were killed in the struggle. The enraged settlers placed themselves under the command of John Franklin to avenge the deaths of their fellow colonists. After marching through the countryside, they successfully cleared the territory of any hostile threats. [9]
Plunkett's Battle occurred along the riverbank of the Susquehanna (above the mouth of Harveys Creek) on December 4, 1785; it was part of the Pennamite-Yankee Wars. Plymouth provided most of the soldiers (who were under the command of Colonel Butler). The number of casualties from the battle are unknown, but it's believed that at least three men were killed in the skirmish. [10]
About 1806, Abijah Smith came to Plymouth from Derby, Connecticut, intending to mine, ship, and sell coal. Smith and his business partner, Lewis Hepburn, bought a 75-acre plot (called Lots 45 and 46) on the east side of Coal Creek. In the fall of 1807, Smith floated an ark down the Susquehanna River loaded with about fifty tons of anthracite coal; it was shipped to Columbia in Lancaster County. [11] As time progressed, additional coal mines and collieries were constructed throughout the township. Railroads and canals were also constructed to aid in the transportation of coal. Coal mining remained the chief industry in Plymouth Township well into the 20th century. [12]
The Avondale Mine disaster was a massive fire in Avondale, an unincorporated community in Plymouth Township, on September 6, 1869. It caused the death of 110 workers. It started when the wooden lining of the mine shaft caught fire and ignited the coal breaker built directly overhead. The shaft was the only entrance and exit to the mine, and the fire trapped and suffocated 108 of the workers (the other two fatalities were rescuers). It was the greatest mine disaster at that point in Pennsylvania history. [13] [14]
On February 9, 1935, the Glen Alden Coal Company began to dismantle and demolish the Avondale breaker and to close the mine. [15] In 1936, no coal was produced. However, in December 1940, Glen Alden Coal Company resumed mining on a limited scale taking coal to the Lance Breaker to be processed. [16]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 16.4 square miles (42.5 km2), of which 15.9 square miles (41.2 km2) is land and 0.50 square miles (1.3 km2), or 3.06%, is water. It is drained by the Susquehanna River (which forms its southern border). The township's villages include Avondale, Ceasetown (also in Jackson Township), and West Nanticoke. Moon Lake Park is located in the northwestern part of Plymouth Township. Most of the municipality is made up of forested mountains (with very little farmland). Its numbered roads are U.S. 11 and PA 29. While U.S. 11 follows the bank of the river, PA 29 comes down from the Back Mountain via Harveys Creek gorge; it links up with U.S. 11 in West Nanticoke. PA 29 then crosses over the river and links up with Hanover Township.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | 1,812 | — | |
2020 | 1,712 | −5.5% | |
2021 (est.) | 1,709 | [2] | −0.2% |
U.S. Decennial Census [17] |
The 2010 census [18] indicates that the township population consists of 1,812 people, 780 total households, and 530 families. The racial makeup of the township was 98.6% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 0.7% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race made up 0.9% of the population.
There were 780 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 404 were married couples living together, and 82 females owned homes with no husband present. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the township, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 20, 4.7% from 20 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
Wilkes-Barre is a city in and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the second-largest city, after Scranton, in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 567,559 as of the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania after the Delaware Valley, Greater Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley, and Greater Harrisburg.
Susquehanna County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,434 Its county seat is Montrose. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from part of Luzerne County and later organized in 1812. It is named for the Susquehanna River.
Luzerne County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 906 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 890 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 325,594, making it the most populous county in the northeastern part of the state. The county seat and largest city is Wilkes-Barre. Other populous communities include Hazleton, Kingston, Nanticoke, and Pittston. Luzerne County is included in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a total population of 555,426 as of 2017.
Exeter is a borough in the Greater Pittston-Wilkes-Barre area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) west of Scranton and a few miles north of Wilkes-Barre. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River and has a total area of 5.0 square miles (12.9 km2). As of 2020, Exeter had a population of 5,513.
Hanover Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,424, making it the most populous township in the county.
Hunlock Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,215 at the 2020 census.
Larksville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is 2 miles (3 km) west of Wilkes Barre on the Susquehanna River. The population was 4,216 as of the 2020 census.
Lehman Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township is part of the Back Mountain. The campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre is located at the Hayfield Farms on Old Route 115 in Lehman Township. The township population was 3,342 at the 2020 census.
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,628, making it the third largest city in Luzerne County. It occupies 3.5 square miles of land. Nanticoke is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Newport Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2020, the population was 4,444. Newport is located on the outskirts of Nanticoke City.
Plains Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census. The municipality is the birthplace of Chicago White Sox hall of famer Ed Walsh and John J. Yeosock, a United States Army general who commanded the 3rd U.S. Army during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Mohegan Pennsylvania is a casino in Plains Township.
Plymouth is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, located 4 miles (6 km) west of Wilkes-Barre, along the Susquehanna River. The population was 5,763 as of the 2020 census.
Shickshinny is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 630 at the 2020 census.
Wilkes-Barre Township is a township with home rule status in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Wilkes-Barre. The population of the township was 3,219 at the 2020 census.
The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal-mines. As a metropolitan area, it is known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, after its principal cities, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. With a population of 567,559 as of the 2020 United States census, it is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania, after the Delaware Valley, Greater Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley, and the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical areas.
Harveys Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 14.5 miles (23.3 km) long and flows through Harveys Lake, Lake Township, Lehman Township, Jackson Township, and Plymouth Township. The creek's watershed has an area of 46.3 square miles (120 km2). The creek has four named tributaries, which are known as Bear Hollow Creek, Paint Spring Run, Pikes Creek, and East Fork Harveys Creek. The watershed is designated as a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery above Pikes Creek and as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery below it. The creek's source is Harveys Lake, the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania.
West Nanticoke is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, across the Susquehanna River from the city of Nanticoke. The population of the CDP was 749 at the 2010 census.
Pikes Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 269 at the 2010 census.
Plymouth, Pennsylvania, sits on the west side of Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley, wedged between the Susquehanna River and the Shawnee Mountain range. Just below the mountain are hills that surround the town and form a natural amphitheater that separates the town from the rest of the valley. Below the hills, the flat lands are formed in the shape of a frying pan, the pan being the Shawnee flats, once the center of the town's agricultural activities, and the handle being a spit of narrow land extending east from the flats, where the center of town is located. At the beginning of the 19th century, Plymouth's primary industry was agriculture. However, vast anthracite coal beds lay below the surface at various depths, and by the 1850s, coal mining had become the town's primary occupation.
Plymouth, Pennsylvania sits on the west side of Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley, wedged between the Susquehanna River and the Shawnee Mountain range. Just below the mountain are hills that surround the town and form a natural amphitheater that separates the town from the rest of the valley. Below the hills, the flat lands are formed in the shape of a frying pan, the pan being the Shawnee flats, once the center of the town's agricultural activities, and the handle being a spit of narrow land extending east from the flats, where the center of town is located. At the beginning of the 19th century, Plymouth's primary industry was agriculture. However, vast anthracite coal beds lay below the surface at various depths, and by the 1850s, coal mining had become the town's primary occupation.