East Allen 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 ...

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was the c ...

, United States. The population of East Allen Township was 5,010 at the 2020 census. East Allen is part of the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.

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 is drained by the

Lehigh River The Lehigh River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward ...

via the

Catasauqua Creek Catasauqua Creek is an ENE–SSW oriented creek draining (straight line distance) from springs of the Blue Mountain barrier ridge several miles below the Lehigh Gap in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians located upriver and opposite from All ...

and Monocacy Creek. Its villages include Franks Corner, Jacksonville, Jamesville (also in Moore Township), Seemsville (also in Allen Township), and Weaversville (also in Allen Township).

History

Craig's Scotch-Irish Settlement was established in 1728, and is the oldest permanent settlement in Northampton County along the Catasauqua Creek. In 1730 they started meeting as a congregation in homes. The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians of Allen Township established a church, in 1731, made of logs. The present church (now God's Missionary Church) was built in 1813. It is the 3rd church that was built by the Presbyterians. East Allen Township was established in 1842 from what was Allen Twp. With the new township boundaries, the settlement is now located in East Allen Township at 4965 Nor-Bath Blvd. in Northampton, PA 18067 (between

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

). At the start of the Revolutionary War, John Ralston was the auditor of depreciations, George Palmer was coroner, William McNair and Jacob Horner were justices of the peace. Neigal Gray and John Ralston attended the provincial conference held in Carpenter's Hall. Ralston and Robert Lattimore were members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Arthur Lattimore, Neigal Gray, and John Hays, Jr. were on the Standing Committee of Correspondence. Thomas Craig and John Craig served as the area's Lieutenants. Sub Lt.s were Arthur Lattimore and John Hays. John Ralston served as paymaster. William McNair was an agent for Forfeited Properties. Robert Lattimore was a Commissioner to collect clothing. Arthur Lattimore was a Justice of the Courts of General Quarter Sessions and of Common Pleas. John Hays, Jr. was a member of the Commission of Observation. Northampton County was formed in 1752, which included the settlement that was already 24 years old. Many of them held the first county offices in Easton. William Craig and J. Lattimore were Prothonotary and Clerks of Quarter Sessions. Built in 1757, Fort Ralston is located near

and was built to protect settlers from Indian attacks during the French and Indian War. The fort is near the present intersection of Route 329 and Airport Road in a farmer's field. It is still standing, however quite damaged. The first official burial in Horner's Cemetery was in 1745, but a baby in the old section makes it the oldest cemetery in Northampton County. Horner's Cemetery contains the graves of many of the region's earliest inhabitants, including 21 veterans from four U.S. wars. There is a stone for

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

, a lieutenant colonel in

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 ...

Flying Camp A flying camp was a military formation employed by the Continental Army in the second half of 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. History After the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, General George Washington met with members o ...

, who served in Pennsylvania's State Assembly and then the U.S. Congress after his service in 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Brown also owned the Friendship Tree. George Palmer, Deputy Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania, and Surgeon-General Dr. Matthew McHenry are both buried there. James Ralston also laid out the town of Bath and Gen. William Lattimore owned the first house there. Hugh Wilson was the founder of

. All four are buried at Horner's Cemetery. The cemetery has been restored by local members of the community, starting in 2008. The Horner Cemetery Historical Society was formed in 2011.

Neighboring municipalities

(northeast) * Upper Nazareth Township (northeast) * Lower Nazareth Township (east) * Hanover Township (south) * Hanover Township (southwest) * Allen Township (west) * Moore Township (north)

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,903 people, 1,864 households, and 1,461 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,907 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.65%

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 ...

, 0.49%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.10%

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 ...

, 0.51% from other races, and 0.61% 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 1.71% of the population. There were 1,864 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.95. In the township, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $55,694, and the median income for a family was $59,007. Males had a median income of $40,194 versus $28,387 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 $23,684. About 2.5% of families and 2.7% 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 4.0% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

As of 2016, there were of public roads in East Allen Township, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township. Numbered highways traversing East Allen Township include

Pennsylvania Route 248 Pennsylvania Route 248 (PA 248) is a long state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Weissport East, Pennsylvania, Weissport East, a CDP in Franklin T ...

Pennsylvania Route 329 Pennsylvania Route 329 (PA 329) is a Pennsylvania state highway that runs for through Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It runs from PA 873 in the North Whitehall Township village of Neffs east to PA ...

Pennsylvania Route 512 Pennsylvania Route 512 (PA 512) is a state route in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton County in the Lehigh Valley region in eastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 22 (US 22) north ...

and

Pennsylvania Route 987 Pennsylvania Route 987 (PA 987) is a state highway in the Lehigh Valley region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United Sta ...

. PA 248 follows the Bath Pike along a northwest-southeast alignment across the northeastern portion of the township. PA 329 follows Northampton-Bath Boulevard along a southwest-northeast alignment through the center of the township. PA 512 follows Bath Pike along a north-south alignment across the eastern portion of the township. PA 987 follows Airport Road along a north-south alignment through the south-central portion of the township, becoming concurrent with PA 329 from there. Other local roads of note are Hanoverville Road, Jacksonville Road, Old Carriage Road, Seemsville Road, and Weaversville Road.

Public education

The Township is served by the Northampton Area School District. Students in grades nine through 12 attend

Northampton Area High School Northampton Area High School is a public high school in the Northampton Area School District and located in Northampton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area of eastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had ...

References

External links

Official township website
{{authority control Townships in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania