Wellsboro 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 and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812 ...

, United States. The borough was founded by Benjamin Wistar Morris. It is located northwest of Williamsport. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census. Early in the 20th century, Wellsboro was the shipping point and trade center for a large area. It had fruit evaporators, flour and woolen mills, a milk-condensing plant, marble works, saw mills, foundry and machine shops, and manufactories of

cut glass Cut glass or cut-glass is a technique and a style of decorating glass. For some time the style has often been produced by other techniques such as the use of Molding (process), moulding, but the original technique of cutting glass on an abrasiv ...

, chemicals, rugs, bolts, cigars, carriages, and furniture. In 1900, 2,945 people lived here; in 1910, 3,183 lived here. It is also home to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. It is a local tourist destination known for its iconic gas lamps that are spaced through the grass median of Main Street.

History

Wellsboro was settled in 1806 and incorporated in 1830 and was named in honor of

Mary Wells Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with the Supremes, the Miracles, the Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the F ...

, wife of one of the original settlers, Benjamin Wistar Morris. The town was the home of George W. Sears (1821–1890), a

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism has its roots in coverage of horse racing and boxing in the early 1800s, mainly targeted towards elites, and into t ...

for '' Field & Stream'' magazine in the 1880s and an early

environmentalist Environmentalism is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of Green politics, g ...

. His stories, appearing under the pen name " Nessmuk", popularised self-guided

canoe camping Canoe camping, also known as touring, tripping or expedition canoeing, is a combination of canoeing and camping. Canoe campers typically carry enough supplies with them to travel and camp for several days via a canoe. Description A canoeist ...

tours of the Adirondack lakes in open lightweight solo canoes and what is today called ultralight camping. Wellsboro was also the site of one of the first factories where light bulbs were mass-produced, using machines whose design remains essentially unchanged from the early 20th century when the Corning company established the plant in the town. The Robinson House, Jesse Robinson House, Wellsboro Armory, and Wellsboro Historic District 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

Wellsboro is located at (41.746794, -77.301881). According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and (0.61%) is water.

Climate

Wellsboro has a humid continental climate (Dfa) with warm to hot summers and cold winters. Winter generally lasts from December through March, although snow has been recorded in every month except July and August. Temperatures of 100°F or more are rare, and have only been recorded in July, August, and September. The all-time record low is -30°F. Snowfall averages 60.6" per year and precipitation averages 42.27" per year.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,328 people, 1,469 households, and 866 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,602 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 98.14%

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 ...

, 0.39%

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.21% 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 0.57% of the population. There were 1,469 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.83. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $30,169, and the median income for a family was $39,898. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $20,492 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 $18,096. About 9.5% of families and 14.8% 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 19.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Media

WNDA 1490AM (1000 watts) and WNBT-FM (50,000 watts) are owned by Southern Belle LLC. The Wellsboro Gazette is a weekly print publication owned by Tioga Publishing Company which covers news in Wellsboro and surrounding towns. Mountain Home, published by Beagle Media, is a monthly regional magazine headquartered and published out of Wellsboro. Wellsboro receives television programming from the Elmira- Corning media market. Additionally, Wellsboro is the first market opened by online media/news company The Home Page Network (starting as Wellsboro Home Page).

Events

* Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival (June): A week-long celebration featuring a juried arts and crafts fair, queen's pageant, parades, and live music. * Maple Weekend (March): Offers tours of local sugarhouses and tastings of maple products, highlighting regional maple syrup production. * Performances at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts (Year-round): Hosts concerts, magic shows, and theatrical productions contributing to the town's arts and culture scene. * Dickens of a Christmas (December): An annual event where downtown Wellsboro transforms into a Victorian-era marketplace, featuring costumed vendors, carolers, and holiday-themed activities. * Christmas on Main Street (December): A festive celebration with decorated storefronts, horse-drawn carriage rides, and visits with Santa, enhancing the holiday spirit in the community. * Wellsboro Comic Con (August): A convention celebrating pop culture, comics, and cosplay, attracting enthusiasts and artists to downtown Wellsboro. * Tioga County Fair (August): A traditional county fair featuring agricultural exhibits, livestock shows, carnival rides, and local entertainment. * Endless Mountain Music Festival (July–August): A multi-week classical music festival that brings renowned musicians to perform in various venues throughout the region.

Notable people

* Morton Shelley Bailey, member of the

Colorado Senate The Colorado State Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of abou ...

and

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the court was established in 1876. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices who are appointed by the Governor of Colorado from a ...

* Benjamin Franklin Bush, railroad executive * Michael Capuzzo, journalist and non-fiction author * Kathryn Crawford, film and theatre actress active in the 1920s and 1930s * William O. Goodman, lumber tycoon * Leonard Harrison, businessman in the lumber industry * James Lowrey, lawyer and member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

* Louise Leonard McLaren, school founder * Benjamin Wistar Morris, second

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon * Benjamin Wistar Morris, colonist * Horace Billings Packer, congressman * John Preston, dog handler and

Pennsylvania State Police The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is the state police, state police agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. The Pennsylvania State Police is a full service law enforcement agency which handles both ...

officer * Ed Schieffelin, Indian scout and prospector * George W. Sears, sportswriter and conservationist * Warren Spencer, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives * William A. Stone, 22nd

governor of Pennsylvania The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

* Polonia brothers, filmmakers

References

External links

* {{authority control 1806 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Tioga County, Pennsylvania County seats in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1806