Main 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 Columbia 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 ...

. It is part of

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA or Nepa) is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton (the area's largest city), Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Ha ...

. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census. Main Township was settled in 1772 and incorporated in 1844. The iron industry was once preeminent in the township.

History

The area that is now Main Township was part of Augusta Township, then Catawissa Township until 1799, and part of Mifflin Township until January 1844. The

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

once passed through the township. In 1808, Reading Road was created and passed through Main Township, allowing easier access to it. By this time, several settlers had arrived and settled in the township. Main Township was settled by settlers of

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an descent in 1772, at which time the township was part of Berks County. The main historical industry in Main Township was the iron industry. In 1815, a

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

-iron furnace was built in the township.

Geography

Main Township is located just south of the center of Columbia County and is bordered to the north by the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

, lined by bluffs. The unincorporated community of Mainville is in the center of the township. The ridges of Nescopeck Mountain and Catawissa Mountain cross the township just south of Mainville, separated by a

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a pract ...

formed by Catawissa Creek. 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 is land and , or 3.08%, is water. Catawissa Mountain from Fisher Run Road 2

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,236 people, 513 households, and families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 490 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.22%

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 ...

, 1.01%

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 ...

, 0.31% Asian, 0.31%

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 ...

, 0.08% from other races, and 0.08% 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 0.78% of the population. There were 469 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.09. In the township the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $41,339, and the median income for a family was $47,574. Males had a median income of $32,069 versus $21,250 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 $19,357. About 6.9% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Before Main Township was separated from Catawissa Township, children in Main Township went to a school in western Catawissa Township. In 1820, Jacob Gensel opened a school in a

carding In Textile manufacturing, textile production, carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passi ...

mill on Scotch Run. In 1824, another school was opened in the township, this time near a church. By 1886, there were five teachers in the township. By 1915, there were 114 students and six schools in Main Township.

References

External links

Main Township official website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1772 Bloomsburg–Berwick metropolitan area Townships in Columbia County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania