Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County
, Pennsylvania
, 52 miles northwest of Williamsport
. Early in the twentieth century, Wellsboro was the shipping point and trade center for a large area. It had fruit evaporators, flour and woolen mills, a milk-condensing plant, marble works, saw mills, foundry and machine shops, and manufactories of cut glass, chemicals, rugs, bolts, cigars, carriages, and furniture. In 1900, 2,945 people lived here; in 1910, 3,183 lived here. The population was 3,328 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Tioga County
, and also home to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
.
, wife of one of the original settlers, Benjamin Wistar Morris
. The town was the home of George W. Sears
(1821 – 1890), a sportswriter for Forest and Stream
magazine in the 1880s and an early environmentalist
. His stories, appearing under the pen name, "Nessmuk" popularized self-guided canoe camping
tours of the Adirondack lakes in open, lightweight solo canoes and what is today called ultralight camping. Wellsboro was also the site of one of the first factories where light bulbs
were mass-produced, using machines whose design remains essentially unchanged from the early 20th century when the Corning company established the plant in the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.61%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,328 people, 1,469 households, and 866 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 681.0 people per square mile (262.8/km²). There were 1,602 housing units at an average density of 327.8 per square mile (126.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.14% White, 0.39% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.18% from other races
, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 1,469 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $30,169, and the median income for a family was $39,898. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $20,492 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $18,096. About 9.5% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
, a massive formation stretching between New York
and West Virginia
, has enough natural gas to possibly meet U.S. demand for 20 years, according to some experts. It may become the most productive shale gas field in the U.S. Wellsboro residents have been profiting from their proximity to the Marcellus Shale. Revenue for the Wellsboro and Corning Railroad
doubled in 2009 because of the demand for transporting sand, which is used by the natural gas industry for hydraulic fracturing operations. The company has purchased new locomotives and track, and is hiring new workers.
Some local farmers have received land lease payments from natural gas companies amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. East Resources, Inc. drilled 42 wells in 2009 and expects to drill 200 more in 2010.
Despite the influx of economic activity and money, some local residents are wary of the side effects of the natural gas operations. They worry about damage to roads from heavy trucks and water contamination from the hydraulic fracturing process.
Various gas wells only 2 to 6 miles (depending on the well) west of the Tioga River
near Hills Creek State Park
are known to have 10,000-18,000 times over the federal drinking water standard for radium
, 22,000-40,000 times the limit for gross alpha, and 38 times the limit for uranium
. However these are only samplings from four different wells. Other gas wells in the area could have more or less contamination and may include other toxic substances.
Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Tioga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,981. Tioga County was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for the Tioga River. Its county seat is Wellsboro....
, 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...
, 52 miles northwest of Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
. Early in the twentieth century, Wellsboro was the shipping point and trade center for a large area. It had fruit evaporators, flour and woolen mills, a milk-condensing plant, marble works, saw mills, foundry and machine shops, and manufactories of cut glass, chemicals, rugs, bolts, cigars, carriages, and furniture. In 1900, 2,945 people lived here; in 1910, 3,183 lived here. The population was 3,328 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Tioga County
Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Tioga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,981. Tioga County was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for the Tioga River. Its county seat is Wellsboro....
, and also home to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
Pine Creek Gorge
Pine Creek Gorge, also known as, The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, is situated in approximately 160,000 acres of the Tioga State Forest in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania along Pine Creek. The Canyon begins south of Ansonia, near Wellsboro, along U.S. Route 6 and continues for approximately...
.
History
Wellsboro was incorporated in 1830 and was named in honor of Mary WellsMary Wells Morris
Mary Wells Morris is the person that Wellsboro, Pennsylvania is named after. She was born in Burlington County, New Jersey. She moved to Tioga County with her husband Benjamin, her son Samuel, and her daughter Rebecca. They were Philadelphia Quakers. They became the first residents of the Wellsboro...
, wife of one of the original settlers, Benjamin Wistar Morris
Benjamin Wistar Morris (colonist)
Benjamin Wistar Morris was the founder of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Samuel Wells Morris, Morris' son, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives...
. The town was the home of George W. Sears
George W. Sears
George Washington Sears was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the 1880s and an early conservationist...
(1821 – 1890), a sportswriter for Forest and Stream
Field & Stream
Field & Stream is a magazine featuring hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities in the United States. Together with Sports Afield and Outdoor Life, it is considered one of the Big Three of American outdoor publishing....
magazine in the 1880s and an early environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
. His stories, appearing under the pen name, "Nessmuk" popularized self-guided canoe camping
Canoe camping
Canoe camping is a combination of canoeing and camping. It is similar to backpacking, but canoe campers travel by canoes or kayaks...
tours of the Adirondack lakes in open, lightweight solo canoes and what is today called ultralight camping. Wellsboro was also the site of one of the first factories where light bulbs
Incandescent light bulb
The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
were mass-produced, using machines whose design remains essentially unchanged from the early 20th century when the Corning company established the plant in the town.
Geography
Wellsboro is located at 41°44′48"N 77°18′7"W (41.746794, -77.301881).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 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.61%) is water.
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 3,328 people, 1,469 households, and 866 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 681.0 people per square mile (262.8/km²). There were 1,602 housing units at an average density of 327.8 per square mile (126.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.14% White, 0.39% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.18% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 1,469 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $30,169, and the median income for a family was $39,898. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $20,492 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 $18,096. About 9.5% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
Natural gas operations
The Marcellus FormationMarcellus Formation
The Marcellus Formation is a unit of marine sedimentary rock found in eastern North America...
, a massive formation stretching between New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, has enough natural gas to possibly meet U.S. demand for 20 years, according to some experts. It may become the most productive shale gas field in the U.S. Wellsboro residents have been profiting from their proximity to the Marcellus Shale. Revenue for the Wellsboro and Corning Railroad
Wellsboro and Corning Railroad
The Wellsboro and Corning Railroad is a shortline railroad that operates between Wellsboro, Pennsylvania and Corning, New York, passing through Tioga, and Lawrenceville. It parallels PA Route 287 and U.S. Route 15, following the valleys of Marsh Creek, Crooked Creek, and the Tioga River...
doubled in 2009 because of the demand for transporting sand, which is used by the natural gas industry for hydraulic fracturing operations. The company has purchased new locomotives and track, and is hiring new workers.
Some local farmers have received land lease payments from natural gas companies amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. East Resources, Inc. drilled 42 wells in 2009 and expects to drill 200 more in 2010.
Despite the influx of economic activity and money, some local residents are wary of the side effects of the natural gas operations. They worry about damage to roads from heavy trucks and water contamination from the hydraulic fracturing process.
Various gas wells only 2 to 6 miles (depending on the well) west of the Tioga River
Tioga River (Chemung River)
The Tioga River is a tributary of the Chemung River, approximately long, in northern Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States...
near Hills Creek State Park
Hills Creek State Park
Hills Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Charleston Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Hills Creek Lake, a man-made lake, is the focal point of the park. It is open for year-round recreation. Hills Creek State Park is in the Allegheny Plateau region of...
are known to have 10,000-18,000 times over the federal drinking water standard for radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
, 22,000-40,000 times the limit for gross alpha, and 38 times the limit for uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. However these are only samplings from four different wells. Other gas wells in the area could have more or less contamination and may include other toxic substances.
External links
- Official website of the Borough of Wellsboro
- Official website of the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce