North Huntingdon Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

in Westmoreland County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. The population was 31,847 at the 2020 census.

History

Named after England's Earl of Huntingdon, Huntingdon Township was founded on April 6, 1772 in

. Huntingdon's boundaries started at the mouth of Brush Run where it emptied into Brush Creek. The area is approximately 26 square miles (67 km²)with the Township maintaining about 125 miles (200 km)of roads. If these roads were placed end-to-end, they would stretch from North Huntingdon to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

. The boundaries, following along Byerly's Path to Braddock Road, continued to the lines that mark Mount Pleasant, Tyrone and Pitt Townships. Huntingdon Township was later divided into the townships North Huntingdon, East Huntingdon, South Huntingdon and Sewickley. Around this same time, Westmoreland County, where North Huntingdon is located, became the townships of Fairfield,

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

, Mount Pleasant, Hempfield, Pitt, Tyrone, Springhill, Menallen, Rostraver and

Armstrong Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victoria Canada * Armstrong, British Columbia * Armstrong, ...

. Many Native American tribes inhabited this area before the European settlers. The Alligewe Indians are believed to be the first people to live in this area.''Irwin and the World Around It'', 9 After this tribe, there were also the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

, Seneca, Cornplanter and Delaware, also known as Lenni Lenape, tribes. The first white man did not come along until 1662. Arnold Viele, a Dutch trader from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...

was the first white man to enter this territory. Viele had wanted to establish Indian trading posts that were closer to other communities. In doing this, he persuaded the Shawnee tribe to move near the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers. After Viele, James Le Tort, Andrew Montour,

Conrad Weiser Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a f ...

and

George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Council, the governin ...

were some of the other settlers to move to North Huntingdon. Many different European groups settled in this area. Two of them were the German and Scottish-Irish immigrants. In the late 1670s, North Huntingdon Township was settled from both the eastern and western ends. This section is divided but what is now known as Irwin. The Germans settled in the east and to the west was the Scottish-Irish settlement. In the German settlement, the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

church ran the schools, and they exclusively taught the German language. The Scottish-Irish settlement was

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

. This group settled mostly in the areas of Circleville, Cavitt's Mills and Robbin's Station. The settlers wanted to provide their children with some education in their new homes. Farmers donated land so they could have schools for their children that weren't far from home. The schools were made with logs and a clapboard roof. Established in 1782, Birch Spring School was the first school in the township. It was also called Master Jack's school after its first teacher. Teachers did not have to meet many requirements to get the job. They had to pass an exam and have a basic knowledge of reading, writing and math. They also had to know how to mend quill pens and wield birch rods. Another school named Fairview was built in 1816. This school was used in the eastern end of the township, while Master Jack's school was used in the western end. Today, Norwin Middle School is located in the area. Schools were not the only thing that these settlers built. They also made their homes. The homes were about 10 feet (3m) high with only one room and one window. They had to use mud for insulation against the cold winters. Chairs were made of logs and beds were stuffed with hay or straw. There was a hole in the roof, instead of a chimney, to let cooking smoke out of the house. About a century after the German and Scottish-Irish settlers, the Township's population was recorded as 3,000 in 1860.''Irwin and the World Around It'', 9. According to a census taken in 1980, North Huntingdon Township was the second largest municipality in Westmoreland County with 31,517 residents. Another census in 2000 recorded that the population was down to 29,123 people. The Fullerton Inn and Andrew and Jennie McFarlane House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of 27.4 square miles (70.9 km²), of which 27.3 square miles (70.8 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.15%) is water. It is traversed by the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...

(Interstate 76) and by Lincoln Highway (

US 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

). The southwestern corner of the township borders the Youghiogheny River for about 1½ Km.

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 29,123 people, 11,216 households, and 8,625 families living in the township. The population density was 1,065.7 people per square mile (411.4/km²). There were 11,578 housing units at an average density of 423.7/sq mi (163.6/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the township was 98.82% White, 0.32% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41%. Of the 11,216 households 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 20.8% of households were one person and 10.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.96. The age distribution was 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median household income was $45,376 and the median family income was $51,933. Males had a median income of $39,693 versus $26,285 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,786. About 4.4% of families and 5.5% 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 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

Works cited

*''The Diamond: Official Publication Commemorating Irwin's 75th Anniversary Celebration''. Irwin: Rodgers Printing Company, 1939. *Roth, Bernard B. (Ed.) 10 ''Score: North Huntingdon Township''. Norwin Community: 1973. *Historian, A.L.; ''Irwin and the World Around It''. Irwin: Key Art/Print Production and Laurel Quick Print, 1989.

External links

Township website
{{coord, 40, 23, 00, N, 79, 44, 29, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Populated places established in 1772 Townships in Pennsylvania Townships in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania