Shickshinny, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Shickshinny is a borough in Luzerne County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 959 at the 2000 census, and declined to 896 in the 2007 Economic Census.
According to the book Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania by Dr. George P Donehoo the community's name likely means "Fine Stream" in a local Native American language. However, according to The Shickshinny Historical Society the name "Shickshinny" means "Five Mountains" in a Native American language. The name comes from the nearby Shickshinny Creek at which five Appalachian Mountains
meet (Newport, Knob, Lee, River and Rocky).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
As of the 2000 United States Census
, Shickshinny held 959 people, who made up 415 households and 241 families. The borough was 99% White, the remaining 1% were multiracial or unlisted. The population was approximately 47% male and 53% female, with 21% of the population below the age of 18, and 23% over the age of 65. The median age was 40.
The households occupied 415 of the 478 housing units in the borough, of these 60% were owned and 40% were rented. Out of the 415 households, 30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41% had elders over 65. About 41% of households were married
, 10% had a female householder with no husband, and 42% were non-family households. 37% of householders lived alone, of which 24% were over the age of 65. The average household contained 2.3 people, while the average family contained 3 people.
A sampling of the population shows that the majority of enrolled students, 63%, were in elementary school (K-8), while 27% were in high school (9-12) and 4% in college or graduate school. The remaining were in preschool. 47% of the population, over 25 years of age, had a high school diploma while 32% did not. Out of the remaining population 21% had attended college while 9% had an associate degree or greater.
The median income for a household in the borough was $28,594, while the median family income was $36,333. The male median income was $27,273 compared to the female median income of $21,250.The per capita income
for the borough was $14,880. About 9% of families and %10 of individuals incomes were below the poverty line.
. According to a Suburban News article, the first permanent settler in the area was Ralph Austin. This was the period of Connecticut jurisdiction of 1782. For a brief time, the Austin Family fled back to Connecticut during the Battle of Wyoming. They set up a farm and an inn
. In 1801, Shadrick Austin bought the 256 acres (1.03 square kilometers) of land.
Other known settlers in the area were William Koons as early as 1850. Koons settled one mile from Shickshinny where the Shickshinny Creek bridge was created. The name of the area was changed to Koonsville
when the post office was established. Nathan Beach, also from Connecticut, settled in 1773. The area was named Beach Haven after him.
The farm, which encompassed nearly the entire current-day borough, later came into possession of Matthias Hollenbeck under the Pennsylvania
claim. The land was then inherited by his daughter, Cist Hollenback, who married Chester Butler. In 1857, upon C. Hollenbeck’s death, the land was divided and sold to the proprietors of the Shickshinny company: George W. Search, Lot Search, Nathan Beach Crary and Nathan Garrison. Walter Garrison bought the corner that the modern day bank stands on. Lot Search held the position of Luzerne County
treasurer
in 1855 and maintained it for two years.
N. Garrison, along with Andrew J. Eldon built the first store, located outside the old storehouse, in June 1857. But a few months after the store opened, Eldon fled to China
with $3,000 of Garrison’s money. It was reported that Eldon was lost in a storm at sea and drowned from the weight of gold in his pockets. The business soon closed and was bought by Nathan B. Crary. A drug store opened at the same time, built by Jacob Cist, and run and managed by Stephen Bond.
Shickshinny Borough
was organized November 30, 1861. It was taken from Salem Township
and Union township
, the majority (two-thirds) being from Union. The first officers were: Burgess and Enke. The counsel was composed of Search, Koons, Crary, Nicely, and Davenport. G. W. Search became the secretary, while Slippy became supervisor. Second was Burgess, third Knor, fourth Youlls, fifth Bear, sixth Post, seventh Hughes, eight Hartman and ninth Bulkley.
Nathan Garrison was the first of the proprietors to die in 1862, survived by wife and children.
Many businesses began to spring up in the next decade, including a flour mill
set up by G. W. and Lot Search in 1865, a foundry
set up by Jesse Beadle, L. T. Hartman and Frederick Beach in 1866, and a planing mill
set up by Amos Hess in 1874. Two blacksmith
shops were also built and run by Miner Brown and Henry Wagner. The first newspaper
in the area, The Mountain Echo, was first issued in 1873, established by C. A. Boone and M. E. Walker. A post office
began in the Search store, and in the 1850s was moved.
Lot Search was said to believe that at one point Shickshinny was the meeting point of over 10,000 famers to ship their goods. Shickshinny was a central hub for many reasons. A toll bridge was built in 1865 to Mockanaqua, the first of three up to 1920. An 1877 turnpike was built along the creek, heading towards Huntington Mills
(modern day Route 239), another 1810 turnpike ran to Berwick
and Elmira
. The canal ran along the river and by 1865 was built to Nanticoke
. This gave Shickshinny the advantages of both a railroad and a canal, which was built through in 1828.
Shickshinny was the international headquarters of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem or Shickshinny Knights of Malta.
Coal Deposit, near a Red Ash vein that runs across the Susquehanna River
near Mocanaqua.
Humphrey Davenport was employed in 1830 to prospect Nathan Beaches land. He soon discovered coal on Rocky mountain. For the next decade the coal was brought off the mountain by teams. Finally in 1840 Beach’s grandson, Dr. Darwin Crary, invented the first inclined chute to be used for the coal industry, which sent coal to the canal down the mountain. Two years later in 1842, James A. Gordon built a plane for Beach & Crary that ran for several successful years.
The mines were passed over to Truman H. Clark, and then in 1865 John M. Stackhouse and Matthew Wier purchase the mines. In 1866 Cyrus Stackhouse bought out Wier’s stock. Again in 1869 the mines exchanged hands and were bought by the Paxton Coal Company. Finally in 1873 the Salem Coal Company was formed. Under their guidance the mines produced 65,000 tones and employed just short of 200 men and boys.
Newport Mountain provided coal as well. It sits on the opposite side of the Susquehanna River
and was found to possess superior coal. In 1857 roads and bridges were built to connect the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad
, which lay on opposite sides of the river, as to be able to mine the Newport mountain.
A company was formed by Jedediah Irish, Jess Hart and Henry. C. Crary to build the bridge. Construction was finished in 1859 by Luther and William H. Trescott. In 1865 the bridge washed away in a flood, and was to be rebuilt by the Mocanaqua Company.
Neither the Shickshinny nor Mocanaqua mines are in service today.
serves Shickshinny, as well as the borough of New Columbus and the townships of Hunlock, Union, Huntington Mills, and Fairmont. The student body is separated into primary, intermediate and junior/senior high schools. The Northwest Area School District formerly contained three elementary schools that contribute to the student body of the Northwest Area High School. These schools were: Huntington Mills Elementary School, Hunlock Creek Elementary School, and Garrison Elementary School, located in downtown Shickshinny next to Shickshinny Creek. At the end of the 2009–2010 school year, Garrison Elementary was closed.
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
, 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 959 at the 2000 census, and declined to 896 in the 2007 Economic Census.
According to the book Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania by Dr. George P Donehoo the community's name likely means "Fine Stream" in a local Native American language. However, according to The Shickshinny Historical Society the name "Shickshinny" means "Five Mountains" in a Native American language. The name comes from the nearby Shickshinny Creek at which five Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
meet (Newport, Knob, Lee, River and Rocky).
Geography
Shickshinny is located at 41°9′15"N 76°9′4"W (41.154044, -76.151182) along Route 11, midway between Nanticoke and Berwick.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 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
2000 U.S. Census
For legibility numbers have been rounded. For more information and more accurate numbers see the Census information for Shickshinny borough or American Fact FinderAs of the 2000 United States Census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, Shickshinny held 959 people, who made up 415 households and 241 families. The borough was 99% White, the remaining 1% were multiracial or unlisted. The population was approximately 47% male and 53% female, with 21% of the population below the age of 18, and 23% over the age of 65. The median age was 40.
The households occupied 415 of the 478 housing units in the borough, of these 60% were owned and 40% were rented. Out of the 415 households, 30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41% had elders over 65. About 41% of households were married
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...
, 10% had a female householder with no husband, and 42% were non-family households. 37% of householders lived alone, of which 24% were over the age of 65. The average household contained 2.3 people, while the average family contained 3 people.
A sampling of the population shows that the majority of enrolled students, 63%, were in elementary school (K-8), while 27% were in high school (9-12) and 4% in college or graduate school. The remaining were in preschool. 47% of the population, over 25 years of age, had a high school diploma while 32% did not. Out of the remaining population 21% had attended college while 9% had an associate degree or greater.
The median income for a household in the borough was $28,594, while the median family income was $36,333. The male median income was $27,273 compared to the female median income of $21,250.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 $14,880. About 9% of families and %10 of individuals incomes were below the poverty line.
Early history
The first white settlers that came to Shickshinny were the Austin Family and Crossley Family who came from ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. According to a Suburban News article, the first permanent settler in the area was Ralph Austin. This was the period of Connecticut jurisdiction of 1782. For a brief time, the Austin Family fled back to Connecticut during the Battle of Wyoming. They set up a farm and an inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
. In 1801, Shadrick Austin bought the 256 acres (1.03 square kilometers) of land.
Other known settlers in the area were William Koons as early as 1850. Koons settled one mile from Shickshinny where the Shickshinny Creek bridge was created. The name of the area was changed to Koonsville
Koonsville, Pennsylvania
Koonsville was formerly a town, and is currently a small section of Union Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately one mile outside of Shickshinny along Route 239 and McKendree Road. Its elevation is approximately 616 feet ....
when the post office was established. Nathan Beach, also from Connecticut, settled in 1773. The area was named Beach Haven after him.
The farm, which encompassed nearly the entire current-day borough, later came into possession of Matthias Hollenbeck under the 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...
claim. The land was then inherited by his daughter, Cist Hollenback, who married Chester Butler. In 1857, upon C. Hollenbeck’s death, the land was divided and sold to the proprietors of the Shickshinny company: George W. Search, Lot Search, Nathan Beach Crary and Nathan Garrison. Walter Garrison bought the corner that the modern day bank stands on. Lot Search held the position of Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
in 1855 and maintained it for two years.
N. Garrison, along with Andrew J. Eldon built the first store, located outside the old storehouse, in June 1857. But a few months after the store opened, Eldon fled to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with $3,000 of Garrison’s money. It was reported that Eldon was lost in a storm at sea and drowned from the weight of gold in his pockets. The business soon closed and was bought by Nathan B. Crary. A drug store opened at the same time, built by Jacob Cist, and run and managed by Stephen Bond.
Shickshinny Borough
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....
was organized November 30, 1861. It was taken from Salem Township
Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Salem Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,269 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.0 square miles , of which, 29.0 square miles of it is land and...
and Union township
Union Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Union Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,100 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 20.4 square miles , of which, 19.9 square miles of it is land and...
, the majority (two-thirds) being from Union. The first officers were: Burgess and Enke. The counsel was composed of Search, Koons, Crary, Nicely, and Davenport. G. W. Search became the secretary, while Slippy became supervisor. Second was Burgess, third Knor, fourth Youlls, fifth Bear, sixth Post, seventh Hughes, eight Hartman and ninth Bulkley.
Nathan Garrison was the first of the proprietors to die in 1862, survived by wife and children.
Many businesses began to spring up in the next decade, including a flour mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
set up by G. W. and Lot Search in 1865, a foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
set up by Jesse Beadle, L. T. Hartman and Frederick Beach in 1866, and a planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
set up by Amos Hess in 1874. Two blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shops were also built and run by Miner Brown and Henry Wagner. The first newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in the area, The Mountain Echo, was first issued in 1873, established by C. A. Boone and M. E. Walker. A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
began in the Search store, and in the 1850s was moved.
Lot Search was said to believe that at one point Shickshinny was the meeting point of over 10,000 famers to ship their goods. Shickshinny was a central hub for many reasons. A toll bridge was built in 1865 to Mockanaqua, the first of three up to 1920. An 1877 turnpike was built along the creek, heading towards Huntington Mills
Huntington Mills, Pennsylvania
Huntington Mills is a village located in the northeastern section of the state of Pennsylvania.The village of Huntington Mills is the center of activities in Huntington Township within Luzerne County...
(modern day Route 239), another 1810 turnpike ran to Berwick
Berwick, Pennsylvania
Berwick is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 22.6 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre. Berwick is one of two principal cities of the Bloomsburg–Berwick Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Columbia and Montour counties and had a combined population of 82,387...
and Elmira
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
. The canal ran along the river and by 1865 was built to Nanticoke
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,465 at the 2010 census.-History:The name Nanticoke was derived from Nantego, the Indian tidewater people who moved here when their Maryland lands were spoiled for hunting by the colonial settlement in...
. This gave Shickshinny the advantages of both a railroad and a canal, which was built through in 1828.
Shickshinny was the international headquarters of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem or Shickshinny Knights of Malta.
Coal
Shickshinny is located at the lower end of the Wyoming ValleyWyoming Valley
Wyoming Valley is a region of northeastern Pennsylvania. As a metropolitan area, it is also known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, after its principal cities, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre....
Coal Deposit, near a Red Ash vein that runs across 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...
near Mocanaqua.
Humphrey Davenport was employed in 1830 to prospect Nathan Beaches land. He soon discovered coal on Rocky mountain. For the next decade the coal was brought off the mountain by teams. Finally in 1840 Beach’s grandson, Dr. Darwin Crary, invented the first inclined chute to be used for the coal industry, which sent coal to the canal down the mountain. Two years later in 1842, James A. Gordon built a plane for Beach & Crary that ran for several successful years.
The mines were passed over to Truman H. Clark, and then in 1865 John M. Stackhouse and Matthew Wier purchase the mines. In 1866 Cyrus Stackhouse bought out Wier’s stock. Again in 1869 the mines exchanged hands and were bought by the Paxton Coal Company. Finally in 1873 the Salem Coal Company was formed. Under their guidance the mines produced 65,000 tones and employed just short of 200 men and boys.
Newport Mountain provided coal as well. It sits on the opposite side of 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...
and was found to possess superior coal. In 1857 roads and bridges were built to connect the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad
Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad
The Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad was an 80 mile long 19th century railroad that ran between Scranton and Northumberland in Pennsylvania in the United States. Incorporated in 1852, the railroad began operation in 1856 and was taken over by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad...
, which lay on opposite sides of the river, as to be able to mine the Newport mountain.
A company was formed by Jedediah Irish, Jess Hart and Henry. C. Crary to build the bridge. Construction was finished in 1859 by Luther and William H. Trescott. In 1865 the bridge washed away in a flood, and was to be rebuilt by the Mocanaqua Company.
Neither the Shickshinny nor Mocanaqua mines are in service today.
Education
The Northwest Area School DistrictNorthwest Area School District
In 2010, the high school is in Making Progress: in School Improvement I status due to chronically low performing student achievement. In 2009, the high school declined to Did Not Make AYP School Improvement I status due ongoing to low student achievement....
serves Shickshinny, as well as the borough of New Columbus and the townships of Hunlock, Union, Huntington Mills, and Fairmont. The student body is separated into primary, intermediate and junior/senior high schools. The Northwest Area School District formerly contained three elementary schools that contribute to the student body of the Northwest Area High School. These schools were: Huntington Mills Elementary School, Hunlock Creek Elementary School, and Garrison Elementary School, located in downtown Shickshinny next to Shickshinny Creek. At the end of the 2009–2010 school year, Garrison Elementary was closed.