Ulysses 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 Potter 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. The population was 600 at the 2020 census. The borough is located in a rural farming and forested area in north central Pennsylvania, which is known as the Pennsylvania Wilds. It also stands in the middle of the Triple Continental Divide. In 2019 the borough celebrated its sesquicentennial.

History

When it was first settled in 1831, Ulysses was named Lewisville after Orange Lewis, an early settler and prominent

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

who later became justice of the peace and county

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

. But the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

had always called the town Ulysses, and eventually, in 1968, the town itself was officially renamed Ulysses.

Geography

Ulysses is located at (41.902838, -77.761017). 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.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 684 people, 268 households, and 183 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 98.68% White, 0.73% Native American, 0.15% Pacific Islander, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58%. There were 268 households, 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.5% of households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07. In the borough the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males. The median household income was $23,971 and the median family income was $27,813. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $11,602. About 25.6% of families and 34.2% 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 56.3% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

White supremacist and neo-Nazi presence

In the early 20th century, the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

arrived, giving the town its continuing presence of

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

s and national significance. The borough has caught media attention in recent years for a local group's involvement in

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

and its practice of Odinism. In the 1990s, August Kreis III moved to town and established the national headquarters of the

Aryan Nations Aryan Nations is a North American antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho, about miles (4.4 km) north of the city of Hayden Lake. Richard Girnt Butler founded Aryan N ...

. He organized the "World Aryan Congress" meeting of

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

s and Klan members held in the borough in the 2000s. A local

and member of the National Socialist Movement, Daniel Burnside, has a Hitler-themed house in the town and has held meetings and demonstrations locally. Speaking in 2019 about Burnside, the president of the Borough Council said "There are some people here that are genuinely scared. I think he thrives on that because that gives him a sense of power and control over something in his life. But most of us, I don't want to say we are scared." Six members of an Aryan Strike Force cell, who were arrested for plotting a suicide bombing of an "anti-racism" protest, had held weapons training in Ulysses in 2018. Some local authorities and citizens have resisted, and opposed any involvement in the group's activities.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1831 Boroughs in Potter County, Pennsylvania 1872 establishments in Pennsylvania