Clearfield County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. 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 ...

is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822. Clearfield County comprises the DuBois, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the State College–DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth.

History

Clearfield County was formed by the Act of Assembly by the second

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 ...

at the time,

Thomas McKean Thomas McKean (; March 19, 1734June 24, 1817) was an American lawyer, politician, and Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father. During the American Revolution, he was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, ...

on March 26, 1804. The county was created from parts of the already created counties of

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

and Lycoming. The name for the county was most likely derived from the many cleared fields of the valleys surrounding Clearfield Creek and West Branch of the Susquehanna River, formed by the

bison A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American ...

herds and also by old corn fields of prior Native Americans tribes.

Location of county government

The first board of county commissioners to the county were Roland Curtin, James Fleming and James Smith, all appointed by Governor McKean in 1805. The first act the commissioners did was to create a local government or seat of the newly created county. They came upon land owned at the time by Abraham Witmer at a village known as Chincleclamousche, named after the Native American chief of the

Cornplanter John Abeel III (–February 18, 1836) known as Gaiänt'wakê (''Gyantwachia'' – "the planter") or Kaiiontwa'kon (''Kaintwakon'' – "By What One Plants") in the Seneca language and thus generally known as Cornplanter, was a Dutch- Seneca ch ...

's tribe of Senecas. Clearfield became the new name of the old village.

Early industry

The two major industries of the county from the mid-1800s until the early 1900s were lumber and coal. Lumber was still being floated down the West Branch of the Susquehanna up until 1917. Coal remains the main industry of the county to this day. Founded in 1955, the Hepburnia Coal Company mines and ships coal in addition to several other lines of business.

Clearfield County Conspiracy Trials

No case tried in the county has caused as much comment as the union conspiracy trials. In all there were fifty-six persons, primarily miners in the Houtzdale region, who were charged with conspiracy as organized strikers. The first case, against John Maloney and fifty-three others, was tried in 1875, before a jury with Judge Orvis presiding. All were found guilty, although they seem to have been solely peacefully picketing. Four were sentenced to one year's imprisonment and eight, to six months; the others' sentences were suspended. As every organized labor society in the United States was interested in the result, the events of the trial and verdict were telegraphed throughout the country This proceeding was followed by the trial of the remaining two offenders, who were union representatives, John Siney and Xingo Parks. Siney was then the President of the Miners' National Association (MNA); he had come to Houtzdale and delivered an address of support for the union strike, for which he was arrested. Parks was an able organizer for the MNA. Federal Senator Matthew H. Carpenter of Wisconsin defended both men. At trial, Siney was acquitted; Parks was found guilty of inciting unlawful assembly and sentenced to one year's imprisonment, but pardoned within a month from the time sentence was pronounced. These cases led in the next year to a liberalization of the Pennsylvania conspiracy law, through amendment providing that only "force, threat, or menace of harm to person or property" would be illegal.

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Pennsylvania by land area and fourth-largest by total area. The

West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the ex ...

flows through the county, bisecting the

along the way. Clearfield County is one of the 423 counties served by the

Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...

, and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book '' American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America''. The mountainous terrain of the county made traffic difficult for early settlers. Various Native American paths and trails crossing the area were used intermittently by settlers, invading armies, and escaped slaves travelling north along the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. A major feature located in Bloom Township, within the county, is known as Bilger's rocks and exhibits fine examples of exposed

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...

that was created during the formation of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

Major highways

*, ''exits 97, 101, 111, 120, 123 & 133'' * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Elk County (north) * Cameron County (north) *

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

(northeast) * Centre County (east) * Blair County (southeast) * Cambria County (south) * Indiana County (southwest) * Jefferson County (west)

Climate

The county 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 cold ...

(''Dfb''). Average monthly temperatures in DuBois range from 24.6 °F in January to 68.6 °F in July, while in Clearfield borough they range from 23.8 °F in January to 69.3 °F in July and in Osceola Mills they range from 24.4 °F in January to 69.1 °F in July.

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 83,382 people, 32,785 households, and 22,916 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 37,855 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.40%

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 ...

, 1.49%

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 ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.56% 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. 22.9% were of

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 ...

, 13.6% American, 10.2% English, 9.9% Irish, 9.1%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and 6.0% Polish ancestry. There were 32,785 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% 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, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males.

2020 census

Micropolitan Statistical Area

The

United States Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

has designated Clearfield County as the DuBois, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). As of the 2010 census the micropolitan area ranked sixth most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 65th most populous in the United States, with a population of 81,642. Clearfield County is also a part of the State College–DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of both Clearfield and Centre County areas, along with the

State College State College is a borough and home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University. State College is the largest designated borou ...

area. The combined statistical area ranked the ninth most populous in Pennsylvania and 125th most populous in the U.S. with a population of 235,632.

Politics and government

Voter registration

As of February 6, 2024, there were 47,456 registered voters in Clearfield County. * Republican: 29,296 (61.34%) * Democratic: 12,904 (27.02%) *

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

: 3,653 (7.65%) *

Third Party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a veh ...

: 1,910 (4.00%) The county trends Republican in statewide and federal elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

in 1964, while

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

winning pluralities in the county, with the former by 88 votes. In 2006, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. received 55% of its vote when he unseated incumbent Republican US Senator

Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum Sr. ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2007. He was the Senate's Chairman of the United Sta ...

and

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician, author, and former prosecutor who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2 ...

received 50.2% of the vote against

Lynn Swann Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American former professional football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He ...

. Each of the three row-office statewide winners carried Clearfield in 2008.

County commissioners

Other county offices

State House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

Correctional facilities

*Clearfield County Jail * Moshannon Valley Correctional Center * Quehanna Bootcamp * SCI Houtzdale

Education

Colleges and universities

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Commonwealth University-Lock Haven (LHU) is a public university in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The main campus covers and the branch campus in Clearfield, Pe ...

at Clearfield, Pennsylvania * Pennsylvania State University at DuBois

Community, junior and technical colleges

*Clearfield County Career and Technology Center * Triangle Tech

Public school districts

* Clearfield Area School District * Curwensville Area School District * DuBois Area School District (also in Jefferson County) * Glendale School District (also in Cambria County) * Harmony Area School District (also in Indiana County) * Moshannon Valley School District *

Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District The Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District is a public school district serving the portions of Centre County, Pennsylvania and Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses the Centre County municipalities of Phillipsburg Boro and Ru ...

(also in Centre County) * Purchase Line School District (also in Indiana County) * West Branch Area School District (also in Clinton County)

Intermediate unit

* Central IU 10 – West Decatur

Correctional institution schools

* Quehanna Boot Camp – Karthaus * SCI-Houtzdale – Houtzdale * Clearfield County Jail-Clearfield

Private schools

* Butchers Run Amish School * Clearfield Alliance Christian School * DuBois Area Catholic Elementary School * DuBois Area Catholic High School * DuBois Christian Schools * Golden Yoke School * Milestones Achievement Center * Mount Calvary Christian Academy * New Story (DuBois) * Otterbein Christian Academy * Paint & Play School (DuBois) * Scenic View School * St Francis Grade School * Weber Road School

Libraries

* Clearfield County Public Library – Curwensville * Curwensville Public Library * DuBois Public Library – * Glendale Public Library – Coalport * Joseph and Elizabeth Shaw Public Library – Clearfield * Hiller Family Memorial Library - Houtzdale

Recreation

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Clearfield County. * Parker Dam State Park * S. B. Elliott State Park Clearfield County is also home to the largest wild area in Pennsylvania, the Quehanna Wild Area. A culturally and historically significant natural formation of massive

megaliths A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

can be found at Bilger's rocks.

Camping

Lodging/Camping

Hunting/fishing

Hunting Fishing

Sporting

Golf

Points of interest

* Bilger's Rocks * Clearfield Armory * Dimeling Hotel * McGees Mills Covered Bridge * St. Severin's Old Log Church

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

boroughs 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 ...

, townships, and, in at most two cases,

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Clearfield County:

City

* DuBois

Boroughs

* Brisbin * Burnside * Chester Hill * Clearfield (county seat) * Coalport *

Curwensville Curwensville is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Altoona on the West Branch Susquehanna River. Coal mining, tanning, and the manufacture of fire bricks were the industries at the turn of the 20th century. I ...

* Falls Creek (mostly in Jefferson County) * Glen Hope *

Grampian Grampian () was one of nine local government regions of Scotland. It was created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and took its name from the Grampian Mountains. The regional council was based in Aberdeen. The region was abol ...

* Houtzdale * Irvona * Mahaffey * New Washington * Newburg (also known as La Jose) * Osceola Mills * Ramey * Troutville * Wallaceton * Westover

Townships

* Beccaria *

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

* Bigler * Bloom * Boggs *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

* Brady * Burnside *

Chest The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

* Cooper * Covington * Decatur * Ferguson * Girard * Goshen * Graham * Greenwood * Gulich * Huston *

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

* Karthaus * Knox * Lawrence * Morris * Penn * Pike *

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...

* Union * Woodward

Census-designated places

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

s are geographical areas designated by the

for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well. * Allport * Bigler * Grassflat * Hawk Run * Hyde * Kylertown * Morrisdale *

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

* Plymptonville *

* Treasure Lake * West Decatur

Unincorporated communities

Unincorporated areas An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

are region of land that are not parts of any incorporated boroughs, cities, or towns. *

Helvetia Helvetia () is a national personification of Switzerland, officially , the Swiss Confederation. The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing clothing, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Flag of Switzerland, Swiss flag, and commo ...

* Lumber City * New Castle (Clearfield County) – in Decatur Township * Sylvan Grove *

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Clearfield County. † ''county seat''

Notable people

* Mary Elizabeth Willson (1842–1906), gospel singer, singer, composer, evangelist * Willie Adams, major league baseball pitcher (1912–1919) * Howie Bedell, major league baseball player *

William Bigler William Bigler (January 1, 1814August 9, 1880) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democrat as the 12th governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855 and as a member of the United States Senate for Pennsylvania from 1856 t ...

(January 1, 1814 – August 9, 1880), American politician, 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, later U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania from 1856 until 1861. * Earl Caldwell, former reporter and columnist for The New York Times; first African-American to have a regular column in a major national newspaper. Central figure in a major Supreme Court case about the protection of journalists' sources. Currently hosts Pacifica's WBAI radio (New York City) * Otto Eppers, cartoonist/illustrator who as part of a stunt successfully jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge at 17 years old * Howard Fargo, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1981–2000) * Anthony A. Mitchell, clarinetist, composer and conductor. Led the United States Navy Band from 1962 to 1968. * Rembrandt Cecil Robinson (1924–1972) was a United States Navy officer (Rear admiral) 7* Edward Scofield, governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) * William Irvin Swoope, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1923–27) * William A. Wallace, Democratic U.S. senator who served from 1875 to 1881 * Powell Weaver, composer and organist * Zenas Leonard (1809 - 1857), American mountain man, explorer and trader, known for his journal "Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard"

References

External links

History of Townships in Clearfield County, PA
History of Clearfield County

Clearfield County Fair {{Coord, 41.00, -78.47, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-PA_source:UScensus1990 Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, 1822 establishments in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1822 Ukrainian communities in the United States