Wilkes-Barre 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 ...

with home rule status in

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

, Pennsylvania, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Wilkes-Barre. The population of the township was 3,219 at the 2020 census.

History

Founding

Teedyuscung Mohegan leader plaque in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania

In 1753, the Susquehanna Company was formed in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

for settling the

Wyoming Valley The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal mines. As a metropolitan ar ...

in present-day

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 ...

. Connecticut succeeded in purchasing the land from the Native Americans; however, Pennsylvania already claimed the valley through a purchase they made in 1736. In 1762, roughly two hundred Connecticut settlers (Yankees) established a settlement near Mill Creek. They planted wheat and constructed log cabins. They returned to

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

for the winter.

Massacre of 1763

The Connecticut settlers returned in the spring of 1763 with their families. A party of

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

also visited the area with the dual purpose of inciting the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

and killing Teedyuscung, a local Delaware chief. On April 19, 1763, the residence of the chief and twenty others around it were set ablaze. Teedyuscung, under the influence of

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

, perished in the inferno. This was revenge for the death of an Iroquois warrior in 1758. The Iroquois allowed for the Delaware to believe that this atrocity was committed by the settlers. As a result, the Delaware attacked the colonists on October 15, 1763. Thirty settlers were killed, and several others were taken prisoner. Those who managed to escape fled back to New England. The Delaware then burned what was left of the Yankee settlement.

Pennamite–Yankee Wars

In 1769, during the

colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas * Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Col ...

, the Connecticut settlers (Yankees) returned to

. Five townships were established by

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

. Each one was five square miles and divided amongst forty settlers. Wilkes-Barre Township, named in honor of

John Wilkes John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English Radicalism (historical), radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlese ...

and Isaac Barré, was one of the original townships. Pennsylvanians (Pennamites) also arrived in the valley that same year. The Connecticut settlers established Fort Durkee, which was named in honor of their leader (Colonel Durkee). This was immediately followed by a series of skirmishes between the Pennsylvanians and Connecticut settlers. The land changed hands several times between the two groups. Finally, after many years of fighting, the land was granted to Pennsylvania.

Coal mining

James Sutton built the first

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

in the township in 1782. In 1806, a large portion of the territory broke away from the township to form the borough of Wilkes-Barre. Today, the township of Wilkes-Barre occupies a strip of land adjacent to the southeast border of what is now the city of Wilkes-Barre. Coal mining was a prominent industry in and around Wilkes-Barre Township in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Laurel Run mine fire started near the village of Georgetown in 1915. The fire under Georgetown was controlled by blocking off the tunnels in the vicinity, robbing it of the necessary oxygen to continue burning.

Expanding commerce

The township became a commercial destination in

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 ...

, adding the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza and several major shopping hubs, including the Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, Wilkes-Barre Township Marketplace, and Wyoming Valley Mall. Most of these shopping areas were developed in the early 2000s, although the Wyoming Valley Mall was constructed in the 1970s following the aftermath of

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...

Tornadoes

The township underwent several devastating tornadoes in the early 20th century (in 1914 and 1917). On Wednesday, June 13, 2018 (at about 10 pm), an

EF2 tornado The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated EF-Scale) is a scale that rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage a tornado causes. It is used in the United States and France, among other countries. The EF scale is also unofficially ...

struck the

business district Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessar ...

of Wilkes-Barre Township. Dozens of commercial buildings were severely damaged. The

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

stated "the tornado touched down near the La-Z-Boy furniture store at Mundy Street and Highland Park Boulevard and continued for three-quarters of a mile ending near I-81 behind Dick's Sporting Goods in the Arena Hub Plaza. It's estimated that the tornado was on the ground for about five minutes." Six people sustained minor injuries.

Geography

Wilkes-Barre Township is located at (41.227931, −75.868282). 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 crossed from northeast to southwest by I-81/ PA 309 and PA 309 Business (Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard). I-81 has two interchanges in the township: one at the southwest end with PA 309 and one in the central portion near the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Other important roads are Kidder Street, Mundy Street, Highland Park Boulevard, Coal Street, Northampton Street, and Blackman Street. Its only village is Georgetown on Northampton Street.

Climate

The township has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa''/''Dfb'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6a. Average monthly temperatures in the vicinity of exit 168 of I-81 (connecting with Highland Park Boulevard) range from in January to in July.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,235 people, 1,455 households, and 846 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,572 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 92.92%

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 ...

, 2.35% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.62% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were

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. There were 1,455 households, out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.86. In the township, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $30,603, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $30,806 versus $27,426 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,055. About 7.2% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1758 Townships in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania