Cummings Township, Pennsylvania

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Cummings Township,
Pennsylvania
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settlement_type = Township
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image_caption = Little Pine Creek Lake from the Dam, at Little Pine State Park,


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map_caption = Map of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania highlighting Cummings Township

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map_caption1 = Map of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Pennsylvania
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Lycoming
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established_title = Settled
established_date = 1784
established_title2 = Formed
established_date2 = 1832
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unit_pref = Imperial
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area_total_km2 = 179.7
area_land_km2 = 178.5
area_water_km2 = 1.2
area_total_sq_mi = 69.4
area_land_sq_mi = 68.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.5
area_water_percent = 0.69
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population_as_of = 2000
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population_total = 355
population_density_km2 = 2.0
population_density_sq_mi = 5.2
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timezone = Eastern Time Zone (North America)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 41 |latm = 20 |lats = 10 |latNS = N
longd = 77 |longm = 20 |longs = 40 |longEW = W
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 524
elevation_ft = 1719
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 17776
area_code = 570
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 42-17696GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1216746GR|3
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Cummings Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 355 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. Cummings Township is home to two of the 120 Pennsylvania state parks, Little Pine State Park and Upper Pine Bottom State Park.

History

Cummings Township was formed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1832 from parts of Mifflin and Brown Townships. It was named for John Cummings who was an assiociate judge in the local court system at the time. Early industry in the county included quarries of flag and building stone and lumber.

The Little Pine Valley in Cummings Township was used by the Iroquois and Algonkian tribes as a hunting ground. Historians believe that there may have been a Shawnee village and burial ground just to the north of Little Pine State Park.

By the mid 19th century the demand for lumber reached the Little Pine area, where White pine and hemlock covered the surrounding mountainsides. Lumbermen came and harvested the trees and sent them down the creeks to the West Branch Susquehanna River to the log boom and sawmills at Williamsport. James and John English were the first to build a sawmill in the area in the Little Pine Area. They built two sawmills in 1809 on Little Pine Creek. In 1816, the village of English Mills sprang up around the two sawmills. The lumber era at Little Pine lasted until 1909, when the last log raft was floated down Little Pine Creek. Remnants of the lumber era can be seen today in and around the park.

Waterville is the most significant population center in Cummings Township. Michael and Henry Wolf arrived in the area from Berks County in 1817. The helped to establish Waterville by building a sawmill and clearing some land for farming. A post office was established in Waterville in 1849. Other early business establishments were two stores and a hotel, which stands today.

Geography

Cummings Township is bordered by Clinton County to the west, McHenry, Pine and Cogan House Townships to the north, Mifflin Township to the east, and Watson Township to the south. As the crow flies, Lycoming County is about convert|130|mi|km|0 northwest of Philadelphia and convert|165|mi|km|0 east-northeast of Pittsburgh.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 69.4 square miles (179.7 km²).68.9 square miles (178.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (0.69%) is water. The township lies entirely in the Pine Creek drainage basin. Little Pine Creek, one of Pine Creek's major tributaries, has its confluence with Pine Creek in the unincorporated village of Waterville.

Cummings Township contains two Pennsylvania state parks. Little Pine State Park is on Little Pine Creek and Pennsylvania Route 4001, mi to km|4.0|abbr=no|spell=American|precision=1| northeast of Waterville. Upper Pine Bottom State Park is on Upper Pine Bottom Run and Pennsylvania Route 44, west of Pine Creek and Waterville. Portions of Tiadaghton State Forest are also located in the township.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 355 people, 153 households, and 106 families residing in the township. The population density was 5.2 people per square mile (2.0/km²). There were 400 housing units at an average density of 5.8/sq mi (2.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.72% White and 0.28% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.

There were 153 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the township the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 107.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $38,594, and the median income for a family was $42,292. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,626. About 6.2% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

*cite web
url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/STATEPARKS/PARKS/littlepine_history.aspx | title = Little Pine State Park History
accessdate = 2007-02-28
publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
*cite book
last = Meginness
first = John Franklin
title = 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."
origdate = 1892
url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html
accessdate = 2007-02-28
edition = 1st Edition
publisher = Brown, Runk & Co.
location = Chicago, IL
id = ISBN 0-7884-0428-8
chapter =
chapterurl = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-34.html
quote = (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos).