Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania
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Mifflinburg is a
borough 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 ...
in Union County, located in the Susquehanna River Valley of central
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. In 1792, Mifflinburg was settled by Elias and Catharina Youngman and 8 other families, many of them German, and the village of Mifflinsburgh (now Mifflinburg) was formed. It was named for Thomas Mifflin, who was governor of Pennsylvania and first governor under the PA Constitution of 1790, and a signer of the U.S. Constitution. Youngmanstown was another name based upon common nemonclature only, but not officially. In 1827, Mifflinburg, a.k.a. Youngmanstown, and another town adjacent to the east named Greenville, a.k.a. Rhodestown, (common nemoncloture), were combined and incorporated into a borough. The first horse drawn buggy and carriage manufacturing company was established in 1845; and Mifflinburg would become the Buggy and carriage manufacturing capital of the United States in the late 19th century. There are many Victorian homes and downtown business buildings. Mifflinburg is known for The Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, Buggy Day, annual authentic Christkindle Market the second weekend of December, and German Oktoberfest. As of the 2010 census, there were 3,540 people, 1,506 households, and 1,028 families living in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,605 housing units at an average density of . As of 2010, the racial makeup of the borough was 97.5%
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 ...
alone, 0.9% Hispanic, 0.6% Black alone, 0.5% two or more races, 0.3% Asian alone, 0.08% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone, 0.06% other race alone, and 0.03% American Indian alone. Major tourist attractions include * Mifflinburg Buggy Museum,Mifflinburg Buggy Museum website
buggymuseum.org. Accessed January 28, 2023.
which celebrates the era (circa 1880 - 1915) when Mifflinburg was known as "Buggytown, USA" due to its reputation as a major manufacturer of quality horse-drawn carriages and sleighs * Annual "Christkindl Market" (a traditional German Christmas festival).Mifflinburg Christkindl Market website
mifflinburgchristkindlmarket.com. Accessed January 28, 2023.


History

The borough is situated on lands that were originally granted in 1769 to the veteran officers who served under Colonel Henry Bouquet during Pontiac's War (1763-1766) in lieu of payment for their service and ultimate victory at the Battle of Bushy Run in defense of Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh). In 1782 or 1783, Elias and Catharina Jungman (Youngman) and their children, came from Fort Augusta (now Sunbury)
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 ...
to the Buffalo Valley with 8 other families to settle on land purchased by Elias from Catharina's father, George Nagle. In the summer of 1792, Elias surveyed and divided the land into 60' by 120' plots that were sold to other adventurous settlers, many of them German, and the village of Mifflinburg was formed (common nomenclature was attributed to the town being named "Youngmanstown", as was historically the case, but was Mifflinburg in the deeds as early as 1792). In 1797, George Rote (Rhoade) laid out a village just east of Youngmanstown, known as Greenville or Rotestown (common nomenclature). Eventually, the two settlements joined at Third Street. In 1827, the two villages combined and were incorporated. The combined village was named Mifflinburg, in honor of
Thomas Mifflin Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania, who is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States for his roles during and after the American Revolution. Mifflin sig ...
, the first Governor of
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 ...
after the 1790 Constitution. The merged towns were known as Mifflinburg before 1827 however, because when Union County was formed from Northumberland County on March 22, 1813, that PA legislative act also established Mifflinburg as the seat of government of the newly formed county, with the first courthouse located at 406 Green Street and other government offices located in various other buildings throughout the town. It remained the county seat until 1815 when it was moved to New Berlin, and then to Lewisburg in 1855 where it remains today. In 1845, George Swentzel set up Mifflinburg's first buggy business. Soon other buggy manufacturers set up their own shops in Mifflinburg, and by 1855, with a population of 800, Mifflinburg hosted thirteen coachmakers. By the 1880s, with more than fifty buggy and sleigh factories, Mifflinburg became known as “Buggy Town” because its buggy makers produced more
horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by auto ...
s per capita than any other town in the state. The Mifflinburg Historic District, Hassenplug Bridge, and William A. Heiss House and Buggy Shop are listed 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 ...
.


Geography

Mifflinburg is located at (40.918939, -77.046800), approximately southwest of Williamsport. 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 borough has a total area of , all land.


Climate


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 3,594 people, 1,506 households, and 1,028 families living in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,605 housing units at an average density of . As of 2010, the racial makeup of the borough was 97.5%
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 ...
alone, 0.9% Hispanic, 0.6% Black alone, 0.5% two or more races, 0.3% Asian alone, 0.08% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone, 0.06% other race alone, and 0.03% American Indian alone. There were 1,506 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $34,906, and the median income for a family was $43,520. Males had a median income of $30,568 versus $21,315 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 borough was $17,161. About 7.6% of families and 9.9% 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 13.7% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.


Economy and tourism

Major employers include
Weis Markets Weis Markets, Inc. (, ), doing business as Weis and stylized as weis, is an American Grocery store, food retailer headquartered in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. It currently operates 200 stores with over 23,000 employees in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New ...
(a supermarket), Mifflinburg Area School District, CVS, Cole's Hardware
Ritz-Craft
(a manufacturer of modular homes), and Yorktowne (a cabinetry manufacturer). In 2005, Yorktowne management made the decision to move most of the Mifflinburg operations to
Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The city is located in the Southside (Virginia), Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River ( ...
, rather than comply with new air pollution regulations in Pennsylvania. Major tourist attractions include * Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, which celebrates the era (circa 1880 - 1915) when Mifflinburg was known as "Buggytown, USA" due to its reputation as a major manufacturer of quality horse-drawn carriages and sleighs * "Christkindl Market" (annual German Christmas festival)


Transportation


Highway

Mifflinburg's business district is centered on Pennsylvania Route 45.
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 primary north/south highway through central Pennsylvania, is located nine miles to the east.
The most direct route to the nearest interstate highway exit involves going over Sand Mountain on an unpaved road to reach
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
, exit 192. Most westbound drivers will opt for exit 185 instead, while eastbound drivers will use exit 210.


Bus

A Fullington Trailways station is located nine miles east.


Rail

Mifflinburg was once served by the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad. Today, the closest passenger rail access is the Lewistown Amtrak station.


Air

Although
Williamsport Regional Airport Williamsport Regional Airport serves Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area with a population of roughly 200,000. The airport processes approximately 40,000 passengers annually and has served north central Pennsylvania since 1929. ...
(
IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...
: IPT) is the closest airport with scheduled airline service, travelers often seek out the lower fares at Trenton–Mercer Airport (IATA: TTN),
Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary international airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It served 30.8 million passengers annually in 2024, making it the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st-busies ...
(IATA: PHL), or
Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...
(IATA: IAD).
The general-aviation
Penn Valley Airport Penn Valley Airport is a public airport in Monroe Township, Snyder County, and is a mile north of Selinsgrove, a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. It is owned by the Penn Valley Airport Authority. The National Plan of Integrated Airport ...
(IATA: SEG) is located 15 miles southeast.


References


External links

*
Mifflinburg Area School District

Mifflinburg Heritage & Revitalization Assoc.

Profile of Union County, PA


{{authority control Populated places established in 1792 Boroughs in Union County, Pennsylvania 1827 establishments in Pennsylvania