Berwick is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located southwest of Wilkes-Barre. As of the 2020 census, Berwick had a population of 10,355. It is one of the two principal communities of the Bloomsburg–Berwick metropolitan area, which covers Columbia and Montour counties, and had a combined population of 85,562 at the 2010 census.

History

Berwick was founded by Evan Owen, a Welsh Quaker and surveyor. He was the son of Hugh Owen from Trefeglwys,

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Berwick was named after

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Situated on the north bank of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

, the borough was first settled in 1769, founded in 1786, and incorporated in 1818. Light and heavy manufacturing industries, such as

American Car and Foundry Company ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad railroad car, rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of Motor bus, motor coaches ...

and Wise Potato Chips, have flourished in Berwick, which consolidated with the borough of West Berwick, where 5,512 people lived in 1910, in 1917. The population of Berwick in 1910 was 5,357; in 1920, after consolidation, the population was 12,181; and in 1950 the population peaked at 14,010. The population was 10,477 at the 2010 census. Berwick is famous for its high school football team, the Bulldogs, who are six time state champions and three time national champions. Berwick is also the home of the 2008 PIAA AAA baseball state champions. It is the school's first ever baseball state championship. Since 1947, the Berwick Christmas Boulevard, created by the Jaycees, displays over a mile long Christmas show of lights and displays down Market Street. The Berwick Christmas Boulevard is seen by thousands of visitors every year, and it has been a regional favorite for over 60 years. Santa Claus is present every year to serve Berwick's famous Wise Potato Chips to everyone who drives past him. Carriage house in Berwick PA

The Berwick Armory and Jackson Mansion and Carriage House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Berwick is located in Columbia County and eastern Columbia County, bordered to the north by Briar Creek Township, to the west by Briar Creek borough, to the south across the Susquehanna River by Mifflin Township, and to the east by Salem Township in Luzerne County. The borough of Nescopeck in Luzerne County is to the southeast, across the Susquehanna. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Berwick has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.45%, is water. U.S. Route 11 runs through the center of Berwick as Front Street (one-way northeast) and Second Street (one-way southwest). US 11 leads northeast to Kingston, across the Susquehanna from Wilkes-Barre, and southwest to Bloomsburg, the Columbia County seat. Pennsylvania Route 93 shares Front and Second Streets with US 11 in the center of Berwick, but turns south to cross the Susquehanna via the Market Street Bridge to Nescopeck. In the other direction, PA 93 splits west from US 11 as Orange Street and leads to Orangeville. Interstate 80 passes south of Berwick, with the closest exits being at US 11, southwest of town, and at PA 93, southeast of town. The eastern terminus of the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg, and Berwick Railroad was formerly in Berwick. The Pennsylvania Canal (North Branch Division) formerly went along the Susquehanna River at Berwick, where there was a

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

that raised or lowered canal boats .

Climate

The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

subtype for this climate is " Dfb" (Warm Summer Continental Climate).

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 10,774 people, 4,595 households, and 2,802 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 97.10%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.88%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.61% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.62% of the population. The Berwick area had a large influx of immigrants approximately between 1890 and 1920, which had a great impact on the current population that continues to this day. These immigrants included

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

Ruthenians A ''Ruthenian'' and ''Ruthene'' are exonyms of Latin language, Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common Ethnonym, ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term ...

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

, and

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

. These immigrants were primarily Eastern Catholic and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. There were 4,595 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.90. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $27,442, and the median income for a family was $32,357. Males had a median income of $26,467 versus $21,061 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $14,538. About 9.6% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over. Stuart Tank historical marker

Economy

Berwick was one of the places where the Stuart tank was produced in World War II, with over 15,000 of the tanks being manufactured at an American Car & Foundry plant in the town. The American Car & Foundry plant was also a producer of rolling stock for railroads. The borough is home to Berwick Offray, a gift ribbon manufacturing division of CSS Industries, and Wise Foods, a snack food company founded by Berwick native Earl Wise in the first half of the twentieth century, famous for its

potato chip Potato chips (North American English and Australian English; often just chip) or crisp (British English and Hiberno-English) are thin slices of potato (or a thin deposit of potato paste) that has been deep frying, deep fried, baking, baked, ...

Education

Berwick is within the Berwick Area School District.. There are five public schools located within the district: Berwick Area High School, Berwick Area Middle School, Nescopeck Elementary School, West Berwick Elementary School, and Salem Elementary School. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, as of the 2009–10 school year, 94% of all students in the district attend class regularly and 88% of all students graduate on time. Berwick is also served by Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16, as well as a private school: Holy Family School (a Catholic-based school for grades Pre-4th). Holy Family also offers C.C.D Berwick Eagles Building

Berwick is home to a dedicated campus of Luzerne County Community College, located in the Eagles Building. Nearby colleges and universities include Bloomsburg University (12.4 mi), Penn State Hazleton (14.2 mi), the main campus of Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke (21.9 mi), King's College (28.2 mi), and Wilkes University (28.2 mi). Berwick Pennsylvania library

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg operates Holy Family Consolidated School. In 2019 the school was scheduled to be closed, but it stayed open. The McBride Memorial Library, opened to the public in January 2008, serves the residents of Berwick and its surrounding areas have the Bloomsburg Public Library, the Orangeville Public Library, and libraries at those colleges and universities listed above.

Notable people

* Nick Adams, actor (interred) * Thomas Bowman, Methodist Episcopal bishop * Peter Calamai, science journalist * Russ Canzler, baseball player - third base *

Zehnder Confair Zehnder Harry "Dick" Confair (January 11, 1906 – January 26, 1982) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the Pennsylvania Senate, Di ...

, Pennsylvania State Senator * George Curry, football coach * Timothy Foley, Director of the U.S. Marine Band, Washington, D.C. ("The President"s Own") * John Gordner, Pennsylvania State Senator * Matt Karchner, baseball pitcher * Jake Kelchner, football quarterback * Douglas Major, composer of sacred music and concert organist * Warren P. Noble, congressman * Bo Orlando, football player * Billy Petrolle, boxer * Tony Piet, baseball player * Ron Powlus, football quarterback * Benjamin F. Rittenhouse, Civil War hero * Richard Sharpe Shaver, writer and artist * Mike Souchak, golfer * Jimmy Spencer, racecar driver and commentator * Ted Stuban, politician * Jayson Terdiman, Olympic

luge A luge () is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds Supine position, supine (face-up) and feet-first. A luger begins seated, propelling themselves initially from handles on either side of the start ramp, then steers by using the Ca ...

r * Joe Torsella, Pennsylvania State Treasurer *

Betty Winkler Betty Winkler (April 19, 1914 Berwick, Pennsylvania – June 6, 2002 Miami, Florida) was an American radio actor. She studied acting at the Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Playhouse. She was a radio performer in Chicago and New York City in the ...

, radio actress * William H. Woodin, FDR's first Treasury Secretary * Jared Verse, football player

Photo gallery

File:East Berwick Fire Co 2.png, The fire hall of the East Berwick Fire Co. File:Berwick Defender Fire Co.png, Defender volunteer fire company. The older engine for show and parades File:Reliance Fire Company in Berwick.jpg, Reliance Fire Company File:Berwick Christian Church.png, Berwick Christian Church File:Berwick Assembly of God Church.png, Berwick Assembly of God Church File:Bower Memorial UMC.png, Bower Memorial United Methodist Church File:Berwick & Berwick-Upon-Tweed.png, Berwick has a special relationship with Berwick-Upon-Tweed in England. File:BerwickTheater.png, Berwick Theater, still showing films in 2017 File:Berwick 1st Methodist church.png, 1st United Methodist Church File:Berwick Salvation Army.png, Salvation Army building File:Berwick YMCA.png, The Berwick YMCA, in a former school building File:Wise Snacks water storage.png, Water storage tank for Wise Snacks File:Dalos bakery.png, Dalo's, a long-standing bakery File:Mays drive-in Berwick PA.png, May's Drive In, long time landmark File:Berwick Red Cross.png, Berwick Red Cross building File:Berwick St Paul UMC.png, St. Paul United Methodist Church File:Berwick SDA church.png, Seventh Day Adventist Church File:Berwick St Josephs Catholic Church.png, St. Joseph Catholic Church File:Grace Lutheran Church.png, Grace Lutheran Church File:Berwick PA 1st Presby.jpg, First Presbyterian Church ( PCUSA) File:Berwick Calvary UMC.png, Calvary United Methodist Church File:1st United Church of Christ in Berwick LARGER.png, 1st United Church of Christ File:Knights of Columbus in Berwick.png, Knights of Columbus File:Berwick Elks.png, The Elks club building File:VFW post Berwick.png, VFW post File:Army tank behind VFW post in Berwick.png, Army tank behind VFW post File:Double house in Berwick Pennsylvania.png, "Double house" ( duplex), one of many built in first half of 20th century File:Edith Emaline Orvis plaque.png, Edith Orvis, who came to help meet the social and spiritual needs of immigrants File:Founders of Berwick PA plaque.png, Founders of Berwick File:Crispin Field in Berwick PA.png, Crispin Field, home of the Bulldogs File:Four and a half street in Berwick PA.jpg, Four and a half street, a unique street name, running from Berwick into Salem Township File:West Berwick Elementary School.png, West Berwick Elementary school File:Good Shepherd Lutheran.jpg, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church File:Berwick Hospital, Berwick, Pa (79604).jpg, Former Berwick Hospital File:Berwick Hospital, Berwick, PA.png, Berwick Hospital File:Christ Episcopal Church.png, Christ Episcopal Church File:Berwick armory.png, National Guard armory from 1922 File:Armory Berwick PA.jpg, South end of armory File:Tuzzis Italian Bakery.png, Tuzzi's Italian Bakery, family owned & local landmark. File:Stuccios pizza.png, Stuccio's Pizza in Berwick, celebrating 50 years in business File:Immaculate Conception Church Berwick PA.png, Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church File:Saints Cyril & Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church in Berwick PA.jpg, Saints Cyril & Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church File:Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church - Berwick PA.jpg, Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, Berwick PA. File:Berwick High School, Berwick, Pa (68599).jpg, old Berwick High School, no longer standing File:Berwick High School.jpg, Berwick High School File:Salem Elementary School.png, Salem Elementary School File:Crispin Mansion.jpg, Crispin Mansion, facing the Susquehanna River

References

External links

Borough of Berwick official website

Berwick Historical Society
{{authority control 1818 establishments in Pennsylvania Bloomsburg–Berwick metropolitan area Boroughs in Columbia County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania populated places on the Susquehanna River Populated places established in 1769