Miles Township, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Miles Township is a township in Centre County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is part of the State College
, Pennsylvania
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,573 at the 2000 census. Miles Township as well as nearby Milesburg
, was named after Colonel Samuel Miles, who co-owned the Centre Furnace, along with Colonel John Patton.
, Simon Pickle Stone House
, and the Rebersburg Historic District
are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, the township has a total area of 62.7 square miles (162.5 km²), all of it land.
Miles Township is bordered by Clinton County
to the north, Union County
to the east, Haines and Penn Township
s to the south and Gregg Township
to the west.
a Pennsylvania state park. The park is in a remote location on a dirt road between R. B. Winter State Park
on Pennsylvania Route 192
and Eastville on Pennsylvania Route 880
. The park can only be accessed in the winter months by snowmobiling
or cross-country skiing
.
McCalls Dam State Park has a small camping area and a small picnic area with a few tables and charcoal grills. There are no modern restroom facilities at the park and visitors are asked to carry out all trash as there is no trash pick up at the park.
The park is named for the splash dam
that Johnny McCall built on White Deer Creek
in 1850. He used the waters that flowed from the dam to power a sawmill
. Sixteen years later the dam was rebuilt to provide water for a series of splash dams that were used to float white pine
logs to the sawmills on the West Branch Susquehanna River
at Watsontown
. The park's facilities were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
in the 1933. The mill and dam are long since gone, but they are remembered along with Johnny McCall in the name of McCalls Dam State Park.
of 2000, there were 1,573 people, 526 households, and 419 families residing in the township. The population density
was 25.1 people per square mile (9.7/km²). There were 693 housing units at an average density of 11.0/sq mi (4.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.66% White, 0.70% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 0.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population.
There were 526 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 17.7% 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 2.96 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the township the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $33,074, and the median income for a family was $36,063. Males had a median income of $24,205 versus $23,500 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $13,180. About 9.4% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
The township is served by the Miles Township Fire Company :Chief Brad Miller
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
, 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 State College
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
, 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...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,573 at the 2000 census. Miles Township as well as nearby Milesburg
Milesburg, Pennsylvania
Milesburg is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,187 at the 2000 census...
, was named after Colonel Samuel Miles, who co-owned the Centre Furnace, along with Colonel John Patton.
History
Centre MillsCentre Mills
Centre Mills is a historic grist mill located at Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1802-1803, and is a two-story fieldstone building, with a basement and attic. It measures 44 feet, 10 inches, by 58 feet, and has a gable roof. Also on the property are a barn, stone...
, Simon Pickle Stone House
Simon Pickle Stone House
Simon Pickle Stone House is a historic home located at Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1833, and is a 2 1/2-story sandstone building, with a 1 1/2-story kitchen wing. It has a two-story, frame store and summer kitchen addition built about 1850...
, and the Rebersburg Historic District
Rebersburg Historic District
Rebersburg Historic District is a national historic district located at Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 205 contributing buildings in Rebersburg. The district is almost exclusively residential with three churches, a small luncheonette, one grocery store and a...
are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 township has a total area of 62.7 square miles (162.5 km²), all of it land.
Miles Township is bordered by Clinton County
Clinton County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
to the north, Union County
Union County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
to the east, Haines and Penn Township
Penn Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Penn Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,044 at the 2000 census...
s to the south and Gregg Township
Gregg Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Gregg Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to the west.
Recreation
Miles Township is home to McCalls Dam State ParkMcCalls Dam State Park
McCalls Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the eastern most tip of Centre County, south of Clinton County and north of Union County. McCalls Dam State Park is in a remote location on a dirt road between...
a Pennsylvania state park. The park is in a remote location on a dirt road between R. B. Winter State Park
R. B. Winter State Park
R. B. Winter State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania and is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. R. B. Winter State Park is in a shallow basin that is surrounded by ridges...
on Pennsylvania Route 192
Pennsylvania Route 192
Pennsylvania Route 192 is a state highway located in central Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 144 in Centre Hall. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 15 in Lewisburg.-Centre County:...
and Eastville on Pennsylvania Route 880
Pennsylvania Route 880
Pennsylvania Route 880 is a long state highway located in Centre, Clinton, and Lycoming counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 192 in Miles Township. The northern terminus is at PA 44 in Limestone Township...
. The park can only be accessed in the winter months by snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
or cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
.
McCalls Dam State Park has a small camping area and a small picnic area with a few tables and charcoal grills. There are no modern restroom facilities at the park and visitors are asked to carry out all trash as there is no trash pick up at the park.
The park is named for the splash dam
Splash dam
A splash dam was a temporary wooden dam used to raise the water level in streams to float logs downstream to sawmills. By impounding water and allowing it to be released on the log drive's schedule, these dams allowed many more logs to be brought to market than the natural flow of the creek allowed...
that Johnny McCall built on White Deer Creek
White Deer Creek
White Deer Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania in the United States.White Deer Creek joins the West Branch Susquehanna River at White Deer.-References:...
in 1850. He used the waters that flowed from the dam to power a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. Sixteen years later the dam was rebuilt to provide water for a series of splash dams that were used to float white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
logs to the sawmills on the West Branch Susquehanna River
West Branch Susquehanna River
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the extension of the main branch, with the shorter West Branch...
at Watsontown
Watsontown, Pennsylvania
Watsontown is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,255 at the 2000 census. It was named for John Watson, a local landowner.-Geography:Watsontown is located at ....
. The park's facilities were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
in the 1933. The mill and dam are long since gone, but they are remembered along with Johnny McCall in the name of McCalls Dam State Park.
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 1,573 people, 526 households, and 419 families residing in the township. 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 25.1 people per square mile (9.7/km²). There were 693 housing units at an average density of 11.0/sq mi (4.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.66% White, 0.70% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 0.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population.
There were 526 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% 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, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 17.7% 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 2.96 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the township the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $33,074, and the median income for a family was $36,063. Males had a median income of $24,205 versus $23,500 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 township was $13,180. About 9.4% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
The township is served by the Miles Township Fire Company :Chief Brad Miller