Cogan House 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 ...

Lycoming County Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat is Williamsport. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth. Lycoming County compris ...

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. The population was 930 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Cogan House Township was formed from parts of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

and Mifflin townships on December 6, 1843. The

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

Larrys Creek Larrys Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Lycoming County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ...

is in Cogan House Township, just south of the hamlet of Steam Valley. It flows west-southwest through the village of Cogan House, and then under the

Cogan House Covered Bridge The Cogan House Covered Bridge is a Burr Truss, Burr arch truss covered bridge over Larrys Creek in Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Lycoming County, in the U.S. state of P ...

. The bridge is also known as the "Buckhorn Covered Bridge" (for a nearby mountain and vanished village) or the "Larrys Creek Covered Bridge" (for the creek it crosses). A petition from the citizens of Cogan House Township for a bridge to be built was filed on September 4, 1876. The

Burr arch truss Burr may refer to: Places Australia *Cape Burr, a headland in South Australia *Mount Burr, South Australia, a town and mountain in South Australia United States *Burr, Minnesota, an unincorporated community *Burr, Missouri, an unincorporated comm ...

bridge was built in 1877 and rehabilitated in 1998, and is 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 ...

. Larrys Creek was vitally important to the economic development of Cogan House Township. During the height of the lumber era that swept through Pennsylvania in the mid-to-late 19th century, the creek was used to float logs from the hills of the township to the lumber industry in nearby Williamsport on 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 ...

. The township is named for David Cogan, a pioneer who settled on Larrys Creek in 1825. Cogan was one of the few settlers in the area for many years, but wearying of his isolation, he left his homestead in 1842, as did a neighbor named Carter. Cogan's and Carter's houses were used by hunters and travellers. The name "Cogan's House" was given to the area and then to the township. In the spring of 1843, the following men were the first officials named to run the township: Justice of the Peace-Joseph Stryker; Supervisors-John Aikin and G. Botts; School Directors-Joseph Stryker, John Weigel, Benjamin Quimby, Paul Stryker, Charles Straub, and G. Botts. Descendants of some of these men still live in the township. The area was home to fine timber and an abundance of game in the 1800s. The township became one of the best lumbering districts in the county and soon sawmills began to spring up. James Wood, Isaiah Hayes, F. Whitlock and Mr. Schuyler operated some of the earliest local mills. The virgin trees that once covered these hills were harvested to feed the lumber mills of Williamsport. However, by the early 1900s only stumps from the giant trees remained. The land no longer held economic interest for the lumber barons. Many of the men who came to work in the woods and at the sawmills had married and created families while living in the township. Some decided to stay on and try their hand at

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occ ...

. Slowly, the family farm took root in the sawdust left behind by the woodcutters. The settlements at Brookside, White Pine, Cogan House, Beech Grove, Green Mountain, Steam Valley and on Buckhorn Mountain took shape. Many grew into villages where a horse could be shod, supplies bought at the general store, mail and newspapers picked up, a vote cast at election time and gossip exchanged. Churches and schools were built to accommodate the spiritual and educational needs of the community. By 1900 Cogan House Township was home to five churches, five post offices, seven schools, two general stores and a thriving population. During the 20th century this mostly agrarian society was redefined through war, modern transportation, better roads, advanced communication systems, the lure of higher wages in far away places, and the consolidation of schools and churches. The township population decreased to 521 as of the 1970 census and has since climbed back to over 900.

Geography

Cogan House Township is in north-central Lycoming County and is bordered by Cummings Townships to the southwest, Pine Township to the northwest, Jackson Township to the north,

McIntyre Township McIntyre, McEntire, MacIntyre, McAteer, and McIntire are Scottish and Irish surnames derived from the Gaelic ' literally meaning "son of the Craftsman or Mason", but more commonly cited as "son of the Carpenter."Scottish Clans: MacIntyre - Origi ...

to the northeast, Lewis Township to the east, Lycoming Township to the southeast, and

Anthony Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the '' Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descenda ...

and Mifflin townships to the south.

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 or U.S. Highway 15 (US 15) is a United States Numbered Highway, serving the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from US ...

, the

Appalachian Thruway Interstate 99 (I-99) is an Interstate Highway in the United States with two segments: one located in central Pennsylvania and the other in northern Pennsylvania into southern New York (state), New York along US 15. The southern terminus of ...

, crosses the northeastern part of the township, with interchanges at Green Mountain Road and Pennsylvania Route 184. US-15 leads south to Williamsport, 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 ...

, and north to

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

. PA-184 is entirely in the township, leading from US-15 at Steam Valley in the northeast to

Pennsylvania Route 287 Pennsylvania Route 287 (PA 287) is a state highway in the Tioga Valley of Pennsylvania, United States. PA 287 runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 220 (US 220) in the community of Larrys Creek in Piatt Township, Lycoming County, no ...

at Brookside in the west. PA-287 leads north to

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

at Wellsboro and south to

U.S. Route 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways, which run east-west. US 220 extends for ...

at the

. 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 township has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.10%, are water.

rises near Steam Valley and proceeds southwestward through the township on its journey to the West Branch of the Susquehanna. A number of other streams meander through the township as well. Hoagland Run, in the southeastern part of the township, flows southeastward to

Lycoming Creek Lycoming Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Tioga and Lyco ...

, another tributary of the West Branch. A few small streams such as Flicks Run and Bear Run in the northwestern part of the township flow northwestward to Pine Creek, yet another West Branch tributary.

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 974 people, 359 households, and 273 families residing in the township. 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 13.9 people per square mile (5.4/km²). There were 451 housing units at an average density of 6.5/sq mi (2.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.38%

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 ...

, 0.10%

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 ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% from other races, and 0.31% 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 0.51% of the population. There were 359 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% 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, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.08. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $36,172, and the median income for a family was $40,192. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $20,350 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 $15,345. About 8.0% of families and 9.5% 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 10.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Townships in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1825 1825 establishments in Pennsylvania