Bart Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in southeastern Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,181, up from 3,094 at the 2010 census. Situated in a highly

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

region of Lancaster County, only 43.7% of the township's population speaks

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, while 56.3% speaks an "other han SpanishIndo-European language" (almost entirely

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate region of Germany ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

History

Founding

The name of Bart Township apparently comes from a reinterpretation of the abbreviation "Bart." for "Baronet". This abbreviation was used by former Colonial Governor Sir William Keith, Bart. After being forced out of the Governorship by Hannah Penn, Sir William Keith, Bart. won election as an Assemblyman in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In March 1728, Sir William Keith, Bart. left Pennsylvania in a hurry—he was running out on his debts. He left for England, never to return He abandoned his wife, Lady Keith, who is buried in Christ Church Cemetery in Philadelphia. What is now Bart Township was part of Sadsbury,

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

before the formation of Lancaster County. In 1744, Sadsbury Township was split into two; the western part was organized as Bart Township and the eastern part remained Sadsbury Township. In 1854, Bart Township was split into two, with the western part organized as Eden Township, and the eastern part remaining Bart Township.Everets & Stewart, Historical Atlas of Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania Illustrated, 1875, p. XVI.
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Modern history

On October 2, 2006, a lone gunman, identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV, shot ten Amish schoolgirls, killing five of them, in an attack on West Nickel Mines Parochial School, an

one-room school One-room schoolhouses, or One-room schools, have been commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spa ...

in Nickel Mines, Bart Township. Roberts then shot and killed himself as police responded.

Geography

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 township has a total area of , all land. It includes the communities of Nickel Mines, Georgetown (Bart P.O.), Mount Pleasant, Green Tree, Ninepoints, and Bartville.

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 3,003 people, 820 households, and 700 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 836 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.60%

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 ...

, 0.80%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 0.17% from two or more races. 0.13% of the population were

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. There were 820 households, out of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.9% 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, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.66 and the average family size was 4.04. In the township the population was spread out, with 37.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $45,250, and the median income for a family was $47,604. Males had a median income of $33,387 versus $21,379 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 township was $14,399. About 10.3% of families and 13.0% 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 19.7% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bart Township is served by the

Solanco School District Solanco School District is a large, rural public school district located in the southern end of Lancaster County (SoLanCo - Southern Lancaster County), Pennsylvania. Solanco School District encompasses approximately . Solanco School District ...

References

External links

* {{coord, 39, 55, 00, N, 76, 04, 59, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title 1744 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Populated places established in 1744 Townships in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania