Kennett Township is a township in

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was the birthplace of Louise Brewer Shepard, the wife of the first American in space,

Alan Shepard Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he beca ...

. The population was 8,289 at the 2020 census.

History

Chandler Mill Bridge, Joseph Gregg House,

Hamorton Historic District Hamorton Historic District is a national historic district in the center of Hamorton, Kennett Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It encompasses 75 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the crossroads communi ...

, Harlan Log House,

Old Kennett Meetinghouse Old Kennett Meetinghouse is a historic meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends or "Quakers" in Kennett Township near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. History The Kennett Monthly Meeting house known as Old Kennett was first constructed in 1 ...

, and the Wiley-Cloud House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which , or 0.13%, is water. The northwest part of the township encircles the separate borough of

Kennett Square Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World because mushroom farming in the region produces over 500 million pounds of mushrooms a year, totaling half of the United ...

, while the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

of Hamorton is in the northeast part of the township.

Demographics

At the 2020 census, the township was 75.5% non-Hispanic White, 5.7% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 2.2% were two or more races. 14.4% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. As of the 2020

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2020, there were 8,289 people, 3,308 households in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 493.2 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 88.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 5.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.0% Native American, 2.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 14.4% of the population. The township is home to a large and rapidly growing Hispanic (primarily Mexican) community. In the township the population was spread out, with 5.7% under the age of 5, 21.3% under the age of 18, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. 57.1% of the township population is female. The median income for a household in the township was $118,520, with 6.4% of the township persons in poverty.

Current board of supervisors and township officials

* Richard Leff, Chairman of the Board * Scudder Stevens, Vice Chair * Geoffrey Gamble, Esq, Member * Eden Ratliff, Township Manager * Gretchen Porterfield, Executive Assistant * Amy Heinrich, Township Treasurer * Matthew Gordon, Chief of Police

Township Embezzlement Charges

In April 2019, township manager, Lisa Moore, was fired after allegations of theft and embezzlement came to light. On October 4, 2021, Moore appeared in Chester County Common Pleas Court and admitted she stole $3.249 million from township residents. The township’s once-trusted employee admitted to all that she had violated the trust placed in her. Her judicial presumption of innocence was removed by her guilty plea to five criminal counts, theft by deception, dealing in unlawful proceeds, forgery, tampering with public records and access device fraud. Moore was ordered to repay the full $3.249 million she stole from the township. In December 2021, the Township reported they had recovered $1.7 million, which includes a cash settlement of $1.27 million from Moore, $355,000 from the sale of Moore's house, and $83,000 that a recovery team located and seized from Moore's personal account. The Township is still looking to recover $1.5 million. https://www.dailylocal.com/2021/12/09/kennett-township-still-looking-to-recover-1-5-million-in-embezzling-case/, date=2022-05-16

References

External links

Kennett Township
{{authority control Townships in Chester County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania