Peters Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

in Franklin County,

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 population was 4,462 at the 2020 census.

History

The township has the name of Richard Peters (1744–1828), Pennsylvania jurist. The Church Hill Farm, Widow Donaldson Place, Findlay Farm, McCoy–Shoemaker Farm, and the White House Inn 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 ...

. File:Church Hill Farm FrankCo PA 2.jpg, Church Hill Farm

Geography

The township is in western Franklin County, bordered to the west by

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

. The borough of

Mercersburg Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

is along part of the southern border. The western border follows the crest of

Tuscarora Mountain Tuscarora Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in the Ridge and Valley province in central Pennsylvania. It reaches its highest point on Big Mountain (Pennsylvania) at above sea level. The mountain is named after the Tuscaro ...

, while a portion of the eastern border follows

Conococheague Creek Conococheague Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is a free-flowing stream that originates in Pennsylvania and empties into the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland. It is in length,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset h ...

, a tributary of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

. The West Branch of Conococheague Creek flows from north to south through the center of the township. Cove Mountain is a ridge that runs parallel to Tuscarora Mountain to the east.

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

passes through the northern part of the township, passing through the unincorporated community of Fort Loudon. US-30 leads east to Chambersburg, the Franklin County seat, and west to McConnellsburg.

Pennsylvania Route 75 Pennsylvania Route 75 (PA 75) is a north–south state highway located in central Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at the Mason–Dixon line in Montgomery Township, where the road continues into Maryland as Maryland Route 494 (MD 494) ...

crosses the center of the township, leading south into Mercersburg. It intersects US-30 at Fort Loudon and leads north towards Fannettsburg in the Path Valley. The unincorporated community of Cove Gap, the birthplace of President James Buchanan, is in the western part of the township. Other unincorporated places include Charlestown, Markes, Lemasters, Church Hill, and Upton. 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 t ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.08%, is water.

Neighboring Townships

* Antrim Township (southeast) * Ayr Township (

), (west) * Metal Township (north) * Montgomery Township (south) * St. Thomas Township (east) * Todd Township (Fulton County), (northwest) * Warren Township (southwest)

Communities

* Charletown * Cove Gap * Dickey * Dutchtown * Fort Loudon * Lemasters * Markes * Mercersburg Junction * Upton

Demographics

As of the

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 4,251 people, 1,622 households, and 1,270 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,718 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.81%

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 o ...

, 0.89%

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 ...

, 0.05% Native American, 0.12%

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 ...

, 0.52% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.61% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 1.32% of the population. There were 1,622 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.94. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $41,740, and the median income for a family was $46,375. Males had a median income of $32,618 versus $23,285 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $18,791. About 6.9% of families and 8.7% 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 t ...

, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, was born in Cove Gap in Peters Township. His birthplace has been protected as Buchanan's Birthplace State Park. * Thomas A. Scott, ran the trains for the Union in the Civil War, later ensured the growth of the Pennsylvania Railroad to its position as the preeminent U.S. corporation. Born 1823.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1720 Townships in Franklin County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania 1720 establishments in Pennsylvania