Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Wrightsville is a borough in York County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 2,310 at the 2010 census. Wrightsville borough has a police department, historic society, and a volunteer fire company.
, which overlooks Wrightsville and the Susquehanna River
, Wrightsville was George Washington
's first choice as location of the capital of the United States.
The world's longest covered bridge
, at 5960 feet (1,816.6 m), once spanned the Susquehanna from Wrightsville to neighboring Columbia
in Lancaster County
. Built in 1814, it was destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. A replacement bridge was burned the night of June 28, 1863, by state militia
during the Gettysburg Campaign
in the American Civil War
. Confederate
troops under John Brown Gordon
formed a bucket brigade to save the town from fire. Yet another replacement covered bridge was destroyed by a windstorm a few years later.
The final bridge, the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge
, was a steel open-air bridge constructed in 1896. It was razed in the early 1960s because of obsolescence and restructuring of the railroad industry.
Wrightsville was the northern terminus of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
, which extended to Havre de Grace, Maryland
.
In 2007, Wrightsville was the chosen location for the rekindling of the War of the Roses between the York Revolution
and the Lancaster Barnstormers
baseball teams. Wrightsville was chosen for its location on the Susquehanna River
, the boundary between York
and Lancaster
counties.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,223 people, 955 households, and 606 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 3,572.8 people per square mile (1,384.4/km²). There were 1,009 housing units at an average density of 1,621.7 per square mile (628.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.62% White, 0.40% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.54% from other races
, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.
There were 955 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples
living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $47,083. Males had a median income of $33,587 versus $23,073 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $18,711. About 4.9% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
The Wrightsville Fire Department is a participating department with the state's professional certification system in which over 95% of its members are trained to the Proboard Firefighter 1&2 and Hazardous Materials Operations levels. The department maintains an average response time of less than two minutes, and a crew of about 11 personnel on calls. This is considered above standards in today's volunteer fire service. In 2010, the department ran a total of 652 calls for service - which has been rising within the last few years.
The department is located at 125 South Second St. in Wrightsville. The facility was completed in 1979, and currently houses three pieces of fire apparatus: a 1996 Seagrave rescue/pumper, a 2005 Seagrave pumper, and a 2005 Ford 550/Semo rescue truck. The fire company utilizes the most updated technology available to firefighters in today's fire service.
Aside from fire/rescue services, Station 41 provides Quick Response Services (QRS) to residents in Wrightsville Borough and Hellam Township. This includes basic emergency medical care provided by Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Responders, until qualified paramedics arrive.
Basic Life Support is provided by Eastern York County EMS 41, out of Hallam. Advanced Life Support is provided by Memorial Hospital 102.
York County, Pennsylvania
York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
, 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 2,310 at the 2010 census. Wrightsville borough has a police department, historic society, and a volunteer fire company.
History
According to a plaque at Samuel S. Lewis State ParkSamuel S. Lewis State Park
Samuel S. Lewis State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Lower Windsor Township, York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mt. Pisgah is an high ridge that is the focus of recreation for the park. The ridge separates East Prospect Valley from Kreutz Creek Valley. An overlook on Mt. Pisgah...
, which overlooks Wrightsville and the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
, Wrightsville was George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's first choice as location of the capital of the United States.
The world's longest covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
, at 5960 feet (1,816.6 m), once spanned the Susquehanna from Wrightsville to neighboring Columbia
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
in Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
. Built in 1814, it was destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. A replacement bridge was burned the night of June 28, 1863, by state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
during the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
troops under John Brown Gordon
John Brown Gordon
John Brown Gordon was one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War. After the war, he was a strong opponent of Reconstruction and is thought by some to have been the titular leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia during the late 1860s. A member of the...
formed a bucket brigade to save the town from fire. Yet another replacement covered bridge was destroyed by a windstorm a few years later.
The final bridge, the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge
Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge (Columbia, Pennsylvania)
The Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge once carried the York Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad across the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania and is therefore considered a Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge...
, was a steel open-air bridge constructed in 1896. It was razed in the early 1960s because of obsolescence and restructuring of the railroad industry.
Wrightsville was the northern terminus of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal between Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the head of Chesapeake Bay, provided an interstate shipping alternative to 19th-century arks, rafts, and boats plying the difficult waters of the lower Susquehanna River...
, which extended to Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
.
In 2007, Wrightsville was the chosen location for the rekindling of the War of the Roses between the York Revolution
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
and the Lancaster Barnstormers
Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
baseball teams. Wrightsville was chosen for its location on the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
, the boundary between York
York County, Pennsylvania
York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
and Lancaster
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
counties.
Geography
Wrightsville is located at 40°1′28"N 76°31′52"W (40.024481, -76.531221).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 0.6 square miles (1.6 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 2,223 people, 955 households, and 606 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 3,572.8 people per square mile (1,384.4/km²). There were 1,009 housing units at an average density of 1,621.7 per square mile (628.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.62% White, 0.40% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.54% 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 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.
There were 955 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $47,083. Males had a median income of $33,587 versus $23,073 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 $18,711. About 4.9% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
Fire/EMS protection
Organized in 1887, the Wrightsville Steam Fire Engine and Hose Company #1 (York County Station 41) protects approximately 10,000 citizens of Wrightsville Borough, Hellam Township, and Hallam Borough. The company has an all-volunteer staffing of 35 active firefighters, as well as 7 support staff and a junior fire department (ages 14–17).The Wrightsville Fire Department is a participating department with the state's professional certification system in which over 95% of its members are trained to the Proboard Firefighter 1&2 and Hazardous Materials Operations levels. The department maintains an average response time of less than two minutes, and a crew of about 11 personnel on calls. This is considered above standards in today's volunteer fire service. In 2010, the department ran a total of 652 calls for service - which has been rising within the last few years.
The department is located at 125 South Second St. in Wrightsville. The facility was completed in 1979, and currently houses three pieces of fire apparatus: a 1996 Seagrave rescue/pumper, a 2005 Seagrave pumper, and a 2005 Ford 550/Semo rescue truck. The fire company utilizes the most updated technology available to firefighters in today's fire service.
Aside from fire/rescue services, Station 41 provides Quick Response Services (QRS) to residents in Wrightsville Borough and Hellam Township. This includes basic emergency medical care provided by Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Responders, until qualified paramedics arrive.
Basic Life Support is provided by Eastern York County EMS 41, out of Hallam. Advanced Life Support is provided by Memorial Hospital 102.
External links
- Borough of Wrightsville official website
- WrightsvillePA community website, news, video, and information about the town
- Wrightsville Steam Fire Engine & Hose Company #1 Website