Butler Township is a township in

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

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 9,469 at the 2020 census.

History

Founding

The township is named after Col.

Zebulon Butler Zebulon Butler (January 23, 1731July 28, 1795) was an American military officer and politician from Connecticut who served with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He represented the Wyoming Valley (now i ...

; he is most famous for his action at the

Battle of Wyoming The Battle of Wyoming, also known as the Wyoming Massacre, was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War between Patriot militiamen and a mixed force of Loyalist soldiers and Iroquois raiders. The clash took place in the Wyom ...

, which resulted in his defeat by British-allied forces. Butler lost 340 men while attacking a superior force of

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

s and

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

. In 1839, Butler Township was formed from a section of Sugarloaf Township. The southern portion of Butler Township was transferred over to Hazle Township in 1861.

Drums Village

18th century

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

is an unincorporated community in Butler Township. The village was named after the Drum family, whose members developed the village's first school, post office, hotels, churches, roads, and businesses. Family members held positions as pioneers, land developers, justices of the peace, postmasters, school presidents, educators, tailors, shoe makers, hotel proprietors, lawyers, and Pennsylvania state legislators. In 1738, Philip Drum, aged 36, immigrated to America from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

with his eight-year-old son Jacob. In 1749, Jacob married Catharine Strauss, who gave birth to a son, George, on June 12, 1762, in Williams Township, Northampton County. According to the 1790 United States Federal Census, George Drum lived in "Allen Township" (now West Bethlehem) during the 1790s before moving his family to the Nescopeck Valley (now Sugarloaf Valley). While in the valley, he established a hotel business and eventually established the towns of Drums and Conyngham.Helman, Laura. "The History and Genealogy of the Drum Family" Press of Berkemeyer, Allentown, Pa. 1927 p.3

19th century

In 1808, Philip Drum (son of George Sr.) bought land in Luzerne County from

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, ...

, who was a close advisor to

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and signed the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...

. In 1810, Philip established Drums' first carding mill on the Little Nescopeck River. In addition, Philip established the first wool-processing mill in 1835; it was located a short distance from the carding mill. In 1814, George's second son, George Jr. (born Oct. 16, 1792), bought land next to his brother Philip. Philip bought additional land in 1814, 1826, 1836, and 1847. George Sr., George Jr., Philip, and other Drum family members owned vast acreage of land in Drums, Conyngham, and surrounding counties. George Drum's two century old estate still stands in immaculate condition in Conyngham and is a fine example of colonial architecture. George Sr. and George Jr. both died in 1831. On February 27, 1858, Philip died at the age of 71 in Drums, Butler Township. Further community and land development by family members made Drums and St. Johns the commercial centers of Butler Township. Drums is the principal village of the township.

Recent history

The

Luzerne County Fresh Air Camp The Luzerne County Fresh Air Camp, also known as the Ferrwood Music Camp, is an historic fresh air camp which is located in Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The camp was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. ...

was 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 ...

in 2004.

Geography

Map of Luzerne County Pennsylvania School Districts

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 is land and , or 0.75%, is water. It is drained by

Nescopeck Creek Nescopeck Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The creek is in the Coal Region of ...

westward into the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

. Lake of the Four Seasons is a body of water located in the eastern portion of the township. Butler Township is a mostly

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

community consisting of

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

and forests. It is located mainly in the Sugarloaf Valley between

Nescopeck Mountain Nescopeck Mountain (also known as Nescopec Mountain) is a ridge in Columbia County and Luzerne County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. Its elevation is above sea level. The ridge is a forested ridge, with at least two types of forest and ...

to the north and Buck Mountain to the south. Its villages include Beech Mountain Lakes,

, Edgewood, Kis-Lyn, Nescopeck Pass (also in Dorrance Township), St. Johns, and Sand Spring.

Climate

Butler Township has a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

is 6a. Average monthly temperatures in St. Johns range from 25.4 °F in January to 70.8 °F in July

Transportation

* Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, I-80 and

I-81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...

intersect in Butler Township. * PA 309 also passes through the community.

Education

Hazleton Area School District The Hazleton Area School District is a large, rural public school district in Pennsylvania, stretching across portions of Luzerne, Schuylkill, and Carbon Counties. Its headquarters are in Hazle Township. Students in grade nine through 12 atten ...

operates public schools in the township. They include:Locate Us
"

. Retrieved on July 18, 2016. *

Elementary-Middle School * Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences in Drums

Hazleton Area High School Hazleton Area High School (HAHS) is a public high school located in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Hazle Township, Pennsylvania and is part of the Hazleton Area School District. According to the National Center for Education Statisti ...

in Hazle Township is the zoned high school for all Butler Township residents.

Neighboring municipalities

* Dorrance Township (north) * Wright Township (tangent to the northeast) * Dennison Township (east) * Foster Township (east) * Hazle Township (south) * Sugarloaf Township (west) * Hollenback Township (northwest)

Weather

2005 Butler Township weather summary

*Highest recorded temperature: 98 °F on 8/13/05 *Lowest recorded temperature: -8 °F on 12/14/05 *Yearly precipitation (rain & melted snow): 42.78 inches

2006 weather summary

*Highest recorded temperature: 94 °F on 8/1, 8/2, & 8/3/06 *Lowest recorded temperature: 6 °F on 2/19/06 *Yearly precipitation (rain & melted snow): 55.98 inches (12.31 for the month of June alone)

2007 weather summary

*Highest recorded temperature: 94 °F on 8/2 & 8/25/07 *Lowest recorded temperature: -1 °F on 2/5/07 *Yearly precipitation (rain & melted snow): 43.96 inches

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 7,166 people, 2,523 households, and 1,899 families residing 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 215.2 people per square mile (83.1/km²). There were 2,747 housing units at an average density of 82.5/sq mi (31.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 92.69%

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 ...

, 5.67%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.50%

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 ...

, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.39% 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 0.59% 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 1.79% of the population. There were 2,523 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.93. In the township the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $46,783, and the median income for a family was $53,958. Males had a median income of $38,926 versus $23,299 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 $21,020. About 3.2% of families and 10.3% 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 2.7% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Nate Eachus, NFL football player *

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

, film actor

References

External links

* {{authority control Townships in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania