Franklin Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

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Franklin Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 915 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 References

[edit] History

Franklin Township, named for Benjamin Franklin, was formed from part of Moreland Township in 1822. It included what is now Jordan Township until that was formed thirty-two years later. Another portion of Franklin Township was cut away in 1828 to form Penn Township.

The earliest settlers to Franklin Township were farmers. They arrived in the early 1800s and cleared the hills and valleys. Many of the farms established by these eary settlers are still thriving today. Other important business ventures in Franklin Township included a large tannery on Little Muncy Creek just south of Lairdsville and the lumber industry which swept throughout north central Pennsylvania during the mid to late 1800s. Thousands of acres of virgin forests were stripped to the ground. The logs were floated down the streams to one of the many sawmills that were spread along the banks of Little Muncy Creek. Today the forests of Franklin Township have regrown, providing an excellent habitat for white tailed deer, black bear and turkey.

Enos Hawley, born in Chester County, was one of the first citizens to Lycoming County to publicly state an opposition to slavery. He was a member of the Society of Friends. The Quakers were firmly agains slavery and were noted for the assistance they provided the abolitionist movement in the years preceding the Civil War. Hawley was raised in Franklin Township in the vicinity of Lairdsville, which is the only village in the township. Hawley went on to serve as postmaster in the nearby borough of Muncy.

[edit] Geography

As the crow flies, Franklin Township is about 100 mi (160 km) northwest of Philadelphia and about 165 mi (265 km) east-northeast of Pittsburgh. It is bordered by Sullivan County to the north, Jordan Township to the east, Montour County to the south and Moreland and Penn Townships to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 63.4 km² (24.5 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 915 people, 346 households, and 271 families residing in the township. The population density was 14.4/km² (37.4/mi²). There were 396 housing units at an average density of 6.3/km² (16.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.56% White, 0.11% African American, 0.22% Native American, and 0.11% from two or more races.

There were 346 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.1% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the township the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $43,250. Males had a median income of $29,231 versus $21,523 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,584. About 5.1% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] References

• [1939] A Picture of Lycoming County (PDF), The Lycoming County Unit of the Pennsylvania Writers Project of the Work Projects Administration, First edition, The Commissioners of Lycoming County Pennsylvania. Retrieved on March 27, 2007. 

• Meginness, John Franklin [1892]. History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc.", 1st Edition, Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co.. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8. Retrieved on March 27, 2007. “(Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to scan of 1892 version with some OCR typos).”