Wrightsville 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 ...

York County, Pennsylvania York County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York, Pennsylvania, ...

, United States. The population was 2,257 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area.

History

According to a plaque at Samuel S. Lewis State Park, which overlooks Wrightsville and 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 ...

, Wrightsville was among

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

's choices as the location of the capital of the United States. The world's longest covered bridge, at , once spanned the Susquehanna from Wrightsville to neighboring Columbia in Lancaster County. Built in 1814, it was destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. A replacement bridge was burned the night of June 28, 1863, by state

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

during the Gettysburg Campaign in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Confederate troops under John Brown Gordon formed a bucket brigade to save the town from fire. Yet another replacement covered bridge was destroyed by a windstorm a few years later. The final bridge, the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, was a steel open-air bridge constructed in 1896. It was razed in the early 1960s because of obsolescence and restructuring of the railroad industry. The site of the former bridge is now home of a concrete bridge known as Wright’s Ferry Bridge. The bridge standing today is approximately 100 yards north of the original bridge location Wrightsville was the northern terminus of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal, which extended to

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre ...

. In 2007, Wrightsville was the chosen location for the rekindling of the

War of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

between the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Basebal ...

and the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Stormers (formerly known as the Lancaster Barnstormers) is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner l ...

baseball teams. Wrightsville was chosen for its location on the

, the boundary between

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

and Lancaster counties. The Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge and Wrightsville 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

Wrightsville is located at (40.024481, -76.531221). 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 ...

, the borough has a total area of , all land.

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 2,223 people, 955 households, and 606 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,009 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 97.62%

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 ...

, 0.40%

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 ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.99% 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 2.02% of the population. There were 955 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $47,083. Males had a median income of $33,587 versus $23,073 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 $18,711. About 4.9% of families and 5.8% 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 4.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

National

Wrightsville is district PA-11 in the United States House of Representatives. PA-11's current representative is Republican Lloyd Smucker. He assumed office on January 3, 2017.

State and Local

Wrightsville is District 28 in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

. PA-28's current senator is Republican Kristin Phillips-Hill, who assumed office in 2019. Before being elected she served in the Pennsylvania House from 2015 to 2018. Wrightsville is District 47 in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. PA-47 is currently represented by Republican Joe D'Orsie.

Emergency Services

Fire Department

Although fire protection in Wrightsville Borough can be traced back to the early 1800s, it wasn't until 1887 that the Wrightsville Steam Fire Engine and Hose Company #1 (York County Station 41) was organized. The fire department protects nearly 10,000 citizens in Wrightsville Borough and Hellam Township with an all-volunteer staffing of over 30 active firefighters, as well as a support staff and a junior firefighter program (ages 14–17). The Wrightsville Fire Department has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after meeting or exceeding the requirements set forth in the Voluntary Rescue Service Recognition Program. The Wrightsville Fire Department was also a participating department with the Commonwealth's professional certification program in which over 95% of its members are trained to the National Proboard Firefighter 1 & 2 certification levels. In 2019, the department responded to a total of 771 calls for service. The department is located at 125 South Second Street in Wrightsville Borough. The current facility was completed in 1979, and houses four pieces of fire apparatus: a 1996 Seagrave rescue/pumper (Rescue 41–1), a 2005 Seagrave pumper (Engine 41), a 2005 Ford 550/Semo rescue (Rescue 41–2), and a 2018 Inmar inflatable rescue boat (Boat 41).

Medical Services

Aside from fire/rescue services, Station 41 provides Quick Response Services (QRS) to residents in Wrightsville Borough and Hellam Township. This includes basic emergency medical care provided by Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Medical Responders until transporting EMS units arrive. The average response time for QRS calls was one minute in 2014. Basic life support (BLS), Advance life support (ALS), and transport coverage is contracted with Lancaster County-based Susquehanna Valley EMS (SVEMS) but respond from the Hellam Township Municipal Building as Ambulance 41. Basic life support services were previously provided by White Rose Ambulance, but ended service on June 1, 2017, after local municipal officials and White Rose Ambulance could not reach an agreement to renew the contract. Although they share the same station number as the Wrightsville Fire Department, there is no affiliation.

Police

Wrightsville was protected by its own police force until July 1, 2018, when it was merged with nearby stations. Wrightsville Borough is currently protected by the Hellam Township Police Department.

Education

Wrightsville is served by the Eastern York School District.National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data - Eastern York School District, 2012

References

External links

*
WrightsvillePA community website
news, video, and information about the town
Historic Wrightsville, Inc
{{authority control American Civil War sites Pennsylvania populated places on the Susquehanna River Populated places established in 1811 Boroughs in York County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania in the American Civil War 1834 establishments in Pennsylvania