Cornwall, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Cornwall is a borough
in Lebanon County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,486 at the 2000 census.
stonemason, came to Lancaster County
around 1734 in search of building materials. First building his house and then a store, he discovered very high quality magnetite
iron ore nearby and decided to mine for it, acquiring 300 acres (1.2 km²) by 1737 and over 1000 acres (4 km²) by 1739 when mining was initiated. He called it the Cornwall Iron Mines after his father's birthplace in Cornwall, England. The Cornwall Iron Mines, also known as Cornwall Banks, turned out to be the largest United States' iron deposit east of Lake Superior
, and were once the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. They were mined continuously until 1973, totaling 234 uninterrupted years of production.
Finding the necessary components nearby for making iron (water, limestone and timber for charcoal), Grubb built the Cornwall Iron Furnace
and began production in 1742. The operation also included the Hopewell Forges
on nearby Hammer Creek. Peter Grubb did not stay long to run the operation, but leased it out in 1745 for 20 years and returned to Wilmington, Delaware
. In 1765 Peter's sons Curtis
and Peter Jr.
took over the operation, and in 1798 it passed to Robert Coleman
and his family. Cornwall Furnace was in production from 1742 until 1883, and appears today much as it was when production ended. In 1932 the Coleman family deeded the property to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and it is now a designated National Historic Landmark
open to the public.
Eventually the whole town became known as Cornwall. It was incorporated as a township on October 11, 1926 after having been a part of Lancaster County
and for a while of Dauphin County
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 9.9 square miles (25.6 km²), of which, 9.8 square miles (25.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.11%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,486 people, 1,210 households, and 965 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 357.2 people per square mile (137.9/km²). There were 1,261 housing units at an average density of 129.2 per square mile (49.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.79% White, 0.34% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.32% from other races
, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 1,210 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% were married couples
living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $59,550, and the median income for a family was $66,964. Males had a median income of $44,926 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $27,904. About 1.1% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
in Lebanon County
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile . There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile...
, 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...
. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,486 at the 2000 census.
History
Cornwall was founded by Peter Grubb in 1737. Peter, a Chester CountyChester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
stonemason, came to 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...
around 1734 in search of building materials. First building his house and then a store, he discovered very high quality magnetite
Magnetite
Magnetite is a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides and a member of the spinel group. The chemical IUPAC name is iron oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide. The formula for magnetite may also be written as FeO·Fe2O3, which is one part...
iron ore nearby and decided to mine for it, acquiring 300 acres (1.2 km²) by 1737 and over 1000 acres (4 km²) by 1739 when mining was initiated. He called it the Cornwall Iron Mines after his father's birthplace in Cornwall, England. The Cornwall Iron Mines, also known as Cornwall Banks, turned out to be the largest United States' iron deposit east of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, and were once the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. They were mined continuously until 1973, totaling 234 uninterrupted years of production.
Finding the necessary components nearby for making iron (water, limestone and timber for charcoal), Grubb built the Cornwall Iron Furnace
Cornwall Iron Furnace
Cornwall Iron Furnace is a designated National Historic Landmark that is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in Cornwall, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The furnace was a leading Pennsylvania iron producer from 1742 until it was shut down in 1883...
and began production in 1742. The operation also included the Hopewell Forges
Hopewell (on Hammer Creek)
Hopewell is where Peter Grubb, who founded Cornwall, Pennsylvania in 1737, first began his iron making activities about 1739. It is an area about six miles southeast of Cornwall, in Lancaster County...
on nearby Hammer Creek. Peter Grubb did not stay long to run the operation, but leased it out in 1745 for 20 years and returned to Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. In 1765 Peter's sons Curtis
Curtis Grubb
Curtis Grubb , Patriot and oldest son of Peter and Martha Bates Grubb, was a second-generation member of the Grubb Family Iron Dynasty along with his younger brother Peter Jr...
and Peter Jr.
Peter Grubb, Jr.
Peter Grubb, Jr. , Patriot and second son of Peter and Martha Bates Grubb, was a second-generation member of the Grubb Family Iron Dynasty along with his older brother Curtis Grubb...
took over the operation, and in 1798 it passed to Robert Coleman
Robert Coleman
Robert Coleman was an Irish-American industrialist who rose from a holding clerkship at a prothonotary's office in Philadelphia to bookkeeper at Cornwall Iron Furnace to becoming Pennsylvania's first millionaire.-Iron baron:...
and his family. Cornwall Furnace was in production from 1742 until 1883, and appears today much as it was when production ended. In 1932 the Coleman family deeded the property to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and it is now a designated National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
open to the public.
Eventually the whole town became known as Cornwall. It was incorporated as a township on October 11, 1926 after having been a part of 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...
and for a while of Dauphin County
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital...
.
Geography
Cornwall is located at 40°16′23"N 76°24′38"W (40.273192, -76.410667).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 9.9 square miles (25.6 km²), of which, 9.8 square miles (25.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.11%) 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 3,486 people, 1,210 households, and 965 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 357.2 people per square mile (137.9/km²). There were 1,261 housing units at an average density of 129.2 per square mile (49.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.79% White, 0.34% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.32% 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 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 1,210 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% 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, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $59,550, and the median income for a family was $66,964. Males had a median income of $44,926 versus $28,125 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 $27,904. About 1.1% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.