Linesville, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Linesville is a borough in Crawford County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 1,155 at the 2000 census. The town gets its name from its founders, which included William Line (the grandson of a Swiss immigrant), who migrated from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
circa the early 1820s, and his relative, Amos Line who was the town's surveyor and main proprietor. Amos Line "penetrated the western Pennsylvania wilderness as a member of the Pennsylvania Population Company in the early 1800’s."
1864. It was not known as Linesville until 1883. It was incorporated from Pine Township on March 22, 1862."
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,155 people, 470 households, and 306 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 1,510.4 people per square mile (586.8/km²). There were 501 housing units at an average density of 655.2 per square mile (254.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.23% White, 0.69% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.26% Asian, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 470 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $34,038. Males had a median income of $31,296 versus $21,719 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $15,534. About 9.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Linesville is within the Conneaut School District and is home to the district's administration offices, along with Alice Shafer Elementary and Linesville Junior-Senior High School.
on the sanctuary (eastern) side is home to thousands of oversized carp
, attracted by the bread thrown into the water by visitors; this is known as "The Place Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish", coined by local businessman Alpine Maclaine. The Spillway is locally billed as "Pennsylvania's second most popular tourist attraction, after the Liberty Bell" and the logo of the Linesville Volunteer Fire Department is, in fact, a duck standing on the back of a fish.
Pymatuning Lake is also said to be the largest man-made lake in Pennsylvania. It was created in the 1930s as a Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC) project. Linesville is also home to the University of Pittsburgh's
Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology
.
Linesville is the birthplace of noteworthy traveler Winfield Line (Amos Line’s great-great-grandson) who, in 1922-23 with his brother Francis, hiked/hitchhiked through every state in the Union. This pair of brothers later wrote a book entitled Foot by Foot Through the USA, A High Adventure Odyssey To Every State in the Union, which chronicled their journey.
Another minor point of interest is at the main intersection of the town (at its sole traffic light). On the Maclaine Building at the northwest corner is a sign reading "<
One other point of interest in Linesville is The Knickerbocker Hotel which appeared on the A&E show, Paranormal State
for its claims of paranormal activity.
At one time, Linesville was the onion capital of the United States, distributing its fragrant produce via the Erie & Pittsburgh Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
.
Linesville made national news in November 2005 when 18-year-old Christopher Seeley
was elected mayor, one of the youngest mayors to serve in a U.S. city to date.
.
Linesville High School graduate Shawn Fleek is now a nationally touring stand-up comedian and writer for television. Linesville High School graduate Dr Matthew Frank Stevens, FRHistS. is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (United Kingdom), a leading historian of the social and economic history of the British Isles in the medieval period, and author of Urban Assimilation in Post-Conquest Wales, 1282-1350 (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2010).
Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 88,765.Crawford County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named for Colonel William Crawford...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,155 at the 2000 census. The town gets its name from its founders, which included William Line (the grandson of a Swiss immigrant), who migrated from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
circa the early 1820s, and his relative, Amos Line who was the town's surveyor and main proprietor. Amos Line "penetrated the western Pennsylvania wilderness as a member of the Pennsylvania Population Company in the early 1800’s."
Brief history
According to the town's history, Linesville was settled by Amos Line, who was born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. "Line established a mill at the site in 1820. The village was laid out in 1825. It was first known as Line's Mills, but the name was changed to Linesville Station in1864. It was not known as Linesville until 1883. It was incorporated from Pine Township on March 22, 1862."
Geography
Linesville is located at 41°39′23"N 80°25′28"W (41.656489, -80.424430).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,155 people, 470 households, and 306 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,510.4 people per square mile (586.8/km²). There were 501 housing units at an average density of 655.2 per square mile (254.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.23% White, 0.69% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.26% Asian, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 470 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $34,038. Males had a median income of $31,296 versus $21,719 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $15,534. About 9.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Linesville is within the Conneaut School District and is home to the district's administration offices, along with Alice Shafer Elementary and Linesville Junior-Senior High School.
Points of interest
There are several points of interest throughout the town, chiefly Pymatuning Lake and the Linesville Spillway. In warm weather, the spillwaySpillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
on the sanctuary (eastern) side is home to thousands of oversized carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, attracted by the bread thrown into the water by visitors; this is known as "The Place Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish", coined by local businessman Alpine Maclaine. The Spillway is locally billed as "Pennsylvania's second most popular tourist attraction, after the Liberty Bell" and the logo of the Linesville Volunteer Fire Department is, in fact, a duck standing on the back of a fish.
Pymatuning Lake is also said to be the largest man-made lake in Pennsylvania. It was created in the 1930s as a Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
(CCC) project. Linesville is also home to the University of Pittsburgh's
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology
Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology
The Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology is a year-round ecology field station of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Biological Sciences located in Linesville and South Shenango Township on the shores Pymatuning Lake in Pennsylvania...
.
Linesville is the birthplace of noteworthy traveler Winfield Line (Amos Line’s great-great-grandson) who, in 1922-23 with his brother Francis, hiked/hitchhiked through every state in the Union. This pair of brothers later wrote a book entitled Foot by Foot Through the USA, A High Adventure Odyssey To Every State in the Union, which chronicled their journey.
Another minor point of interest is at the main intersection of the town (at its sole traffic light). On the Maclaine Building at the northwest corner is a sign reading "<
CHICAGO: 500 miles NEW YORK: 500 miles
>" (the true midpoint between the two is actually about a mile west).One other point of interest in Linesville is The Knickerbocker Hotel which appeared on the A&E show, Paranormal State
Paranormal State
Paranormal State is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on the A&E Network on December 10, 2007. The program follows and stars the Pennsylvania State University Paranormal Research Society, a student-led college club...
for its claims of paranormal activity.
At one time, Linesville was the onion capital of the United States, distributing its fragrant produce via the Erie & Pittsburgh Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
.
Linesville made national news in November 2005 when 18-year-old Christopher Seeley
Christopher Seeley
Christopher Seeley is the mayor of Linesville, Pennsylvania. Born on September 15, 1987, Seeley is among the youngest mayors of U.S. cities to serve to date. He ran against long-time Linesville Borough Council Member Kevin McGrath. Seeley was nominated for Mayor as a Democrat at age 17, on May...
was elected mayor, one of the youngest mayors to serve in a U.S. city to date.
Notable people
Linesville is the hometown of Michael Barnes, Anthony Armstrong, and Randy Armstrong of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band REDRed (band)
Red is an American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band's lineup consists of singer Michael Barnes, guitarist Anthony Armstrong, bassist Randy Armstrong and drummer Joe Rickard. They are known for their Christian rock music which incorporates other sounds such as...
.
Linesville High School graduate Shawn Fleek is now a nationally touring stand-up comedian and writer for television. Linesville High School graduate Dr Matthew Frank Stevens, FRHistS. is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (United Kingdom), a leading historian of the social and economic history of the British Isles in the medieval period, and author of Urban Assimilation in Post-Conquest Wales, 1282-1350 (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2010).