Mount Union, Pennsylvania
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Mount Union 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 Huntingdon 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 ...
, United States, approximately southeast of Altoona and southeast 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 ...
, on the
Juniata River The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...
. In the vicinity are found
bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...
, ganister rock, fire clay, and some timber. A major Easter grass factory is located in the northern quadrant of the borough limits; until May 2007, the facility was owned by Bleyer Industries. The population was 2,447 at the 2010 census.


History

Mount Union was largely influenced by industry. It was at one time the world's largest producer of
refractory In materials science, a refractory (or refractory material) is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat or chemical attack and that retains its strength and rigidity at high temperatures. They are inorganic, non-metallic compound ...
material (silica brick), with three plants – General Refractories, United States Refractories, and Harbison Walker. The refractory business in Mount Union lasted from 1899 to about 1972, with limited production into the early 1990s. Other industries included two tanneries, a tanning extract plant, coal yards, an explosives and munitions plant (Aetna), and foundry and machine shops. Mount Union was the northern terminus for the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad, connecting to the Main Line of the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad (now Norfolk Southern). The EBT maintained a large dual-gauge yard and coal cleaning plant in Mount Union and supplied coal to the Refractory plants. The EBT ceased operations in 1956 but the track is still in place and owned by the railroad. From 1998 to 2010, the Mount Union Connecting Railroad attempted to reactivate the EBT main track through Mount Union and rehabilitated it, but only a couple cars were serviced and none moved over the EBT trackage. The Mount Union Historic District was 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 ...
in 1994, with 300 significant historic structures, buildings, and homes. The population tally in 1900 was 1,086 which rose to 3,338 in 1910.


Today

The culturally significant Thousand Steps of the Standing Stone Trail are located in the Jacks Narrows, approximately two miles west of the town along U.S. Route 22. The annual
Creation Festival Creation Festival, commonly shortened to Creation, was an annual four-day Christian music festival in the United States. According to its organizers, it was the "Nation's Largest Christian Music Festival." Average attendance was between 50,000 ...
was hosted locally (in Shirleysburg) from 1984 to 2022, drawing thousands of visitors in late June. Mount Union is the site of the Pennsylvania
Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is se ...
Beacon Lodge Camp, a summer camp for people with visual impairments and special needs, founded by Carl Shoemaker in 1948. Today, Mount Union has 3 subsidized housing developments, Hartman Village, Chestnut Terrace, and Taylor Apartments, the later of which is a 7-story building for senior-citizens. The industries in Mount Unions include Bleyers Industries which produces plastic products, Containment Solutions which makes large tanks for gas stations, and Bonney Forge which manufactures steel valves and fittings. Bleyers Industries is located in the borough near on Chestnut Street, meanwhile Bonney Forge and Containment Solutions are located outside the borough near or within the Riverview Business Center along 522


Geography

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 , of which is land and (2.59%) is water.


Education


Vocational/Technical education

* Huntingdon County Career and Technology Center – shared with the three other school districts


Public education

* Mount Union Area School District ** Mount Union Area Senior High School ** Mount Union Area Junior High School ** Shirley Township Elementary School ** Kister Elementary School


Public services


Emergency services

The Mount Union Borough has its own police department providing law enforcement services to the borough with around a dozen officers. Mount Union Volunteer Fire Department provides fire, rescue and ambulance services to the borough and to Shirley Township. The Fire Department has 3 ambulances, a Fire Engine, Engine-Rescue, Ladder truck, brush truck and a boat.


Health care

Mount Union Area Medical Center which provides preventive health services to the community. The closest hospitals is Penn Highlands Huntingdon, formerly JC Blair Hospital in Huntingdon and Geisinger Lewistown Hospital in Lewistown.


Postal services

*Mount Union Post Office


Public library

*Mount Union Community Library


Non-profit organizations

*Kiwanis Club of the Mount Union Area *Allenport
Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...
*Mount Union Area Food Pantry


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 2,504 people, 1,166 households, and 684 families residing in the borough. 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 1,288 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 86.50%
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 ...
, 11.02%
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 ...
, 0.04% Native American, 0.32% from other races, and 2.12% 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 1.20% of the population. There were 1,166 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% 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, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.83. In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $21,048, and the median income for a family was $30,582. Males had a median income of $28,464 versus $21,719 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 $13,419. About 25.5% of families and 28.6% 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 50.0% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links


Chamber of CommercePolice departmentMount Union Area School DistrictMount Union BoroughMount Union Community Library
{{authority control Populated places established in 1849 Boroughs in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania 1849 establishments in Pennsylvania