Seward, Pennsylvania

Seward, Pennsylvania
Borough
Indiana Street
Location of Seward in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
Seward, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°24′53″N79°01′22″W / 40.41472°N 79.02278°W / 40.41472; -79.02278
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Westmoreland
Incorporated	January 23, 1904
Government
• Type	Borough Council
Area [1]
• Total	0.20 sq mi (0.52 km2)
• Land	0.20 sq mi (0.52 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,135 ft (346 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	495
• Estimate  (2019) [2]	462
• Density	2,287.13/sq mi (882.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code	15954
Area code(s)	724, 814
FIPS code	42-69368

Seward is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was four hundred and ninety-five at the time of the 2010 census.

It is also one of three communities within the county to utilize the 814 area code, along with St. Clair and New Florence.

History

In June 1902, three men were killed instantly, two were fatally hurt and five others were injured, including one man who later died, following an explosion at the Cambria powder plant's coining mill in Seward. ^{[3] [4]} According to news coverage, "The explosion occurred as the men were loading a pot of powder on a wagon driven by" one of the victims, thirty-eight-year-old John Rhoads, who reportedly left a large family. The others who were killed were: Seward resident J. B. Smith, aged forty, who was also the head of a large family; Charles Drover, a thirty-five-year-old, unmarried resident of Wapwallopen in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; and Seward resident W. F. Bracken, who was married with three children. ^[5]

A second, similar explosion then occurred in Seward at the Conemaugh Powder Works on December 7, 1903, killing worker Alfred Beatty and seriously injuring four other men. ^[6]

On January 4, 1908, Seward resident Patrick Kerwin, who was reportedly the oldest person alive in Pennsylvania at that time, died at the age of one hundred and eleven. A native of Ireland, he had been born on St. Patrick's Day in 1796. ^[7]

Geography

Seward is located at 40°24′53″N79°1′22″W / 40.41472°N 79.02278°W / 40.41472; -79.02278 (40.414759, -79.022856). ^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²), all land.

Seward is entirely surrounded by St. Clair Township

The community was impacted by the Johnstown flood of 1977; seven people died as a result of the disaster. ^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	548		—
1920	657		19.9%
1930	742		12.9%
1940	845		13.9%
1950	852		0.8%
1960	754		−11.5%
1970	746		−1.1%
1980	675		−9.5%
1990	522		−22.7%
2000	484		−7.3%
2010	495		2.3%
2019 (est.)	462	[2]	−6.7%
Sources: [10] [11] [12]

At the 2000 census there were four hundred and eight-four people, one hundred and ninety-nine households and one hundred and twenty-nine families living in the borough.

The population density was 2,255.1 inhabitants per square mile (870.7/km²). There were two hundred and twenty-six housing units at an average density of 1,053.0 per square mile (406.6/km²).

The racial makeup of the borough was 99.17% White, 0.21% African American, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.21%. ^[11]

Of the one hundred and ninety-nine households 22.6% had children under the age of eighteen living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.7% of households were one person and 19.1% were one person aged sixty-five or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of eighteen, 5.8% from eighteen to twenty-four, 26.7% from twenty-five to forty-four, 25.8% from forty-five to sixty-four, and 21.3% who were aged sixty-five or older. The median age was forty-three years.

For every one hundred females, there were 94.4 males. For every one hundred females aged eighteen and over, there were 94.4 males.

The median household income was $29,583 and the median family income was $38,500. Males had a median income of $32,083 compared with $18,333 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,585.

Roughly 4.9% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 21.6% of those aged sixty-five or over.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "Powder Mill Blows Up." Freeport, Illinois: The Daily Democrat, June 20, 1902, p. 2 (subscription required).
4. "Domestic." Bremen, Indiana: The Bremen Enquirer, June 27, 1902, p. 6 (subscription required).
5. "Powder Mill Blew Up: Four Men Killed and Five Others Injured at Seward, Pa." Wauseon, Ohio: The Democratic Expositor, June 26, 1902, p. 2 (subscription required).
6. "Powder Explosion Victims." Champaign, Illinois: The Champaign Daily News, December 8, 1903, p. 5 (subscription required).
7. "Centenarian Drops Dead." Washington, D.C.: The Washington Times, January 5, 1908, p. 6 (subscription required).
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
9. "1977 flood | Years of efforts rebuilt the town, but impact – and stories – are still felt".
10. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
12. "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.

External links

• Seward, Pennsylvania (profile). Middleton, Wisconsin: Ballotpedia, retrieved online January 28, 2023.