Middleburg, Pennsylvania

Middleburg
—  Borough  —
Middleburg, Pennsylvania
Middleburg Location within the state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°47′17″N 77°2′36″W / 40.78806°N 77.04333°W / 40.78806; -77.04333Coordinates: 40°47′17″N 77°2′36″W / 40.78806°N 77.04333°W / 40.78806; -77.04333
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Snyder
Area
– Total	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)
Elevation	495 ft (151 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	1,382
– Density	1,556.2/sq mi (600.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC)
Zip Code	17842
Area code(s)	570

Middleburg is a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Snyder County.^[1]

History

Native Americans had lived in the region for centuries. White settlers are recorded living in the area in 1755. Middleburg was originally named Swinefordstown (Swinefordstettle in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect) after John Albright Swineford who ran a tavern here in 1787. He was also the owner of land located on the north bank of the Middle Creek on which engineer Frederick Evans laid out the town in 1800.^[2] This town became known as Middleburgh circa 1825, and was incorporated as a borough in 1864.^{[citation needed]}

A portion of the site that Middleburg occupies was the location of the Stump's Run Massacre in January of 1768. Stump's Run is located to the west of the Glendale Cemetery and is also near the Snyder County Historical Society. In this incident, two colonists named Frederick Stump and John Ironcutter were found to be responsible for the deaths of four Native American men, three Native American women, and three children over a two day period. Four of the men and two of the women were killed at Stump's cabin, which was located at the mouth of the Middle Creek near Selinsgrove. After Stump and Ironcutter shoved the bodies through a hole in the ice, they traveled up the creek to Stump's Run to kill the remaining woman and the children. These bodies were thrown into the native cabins, and the cabins burned. Although the men claimed self-defense, it is suspected that this could have been provoked by a drunken brawl, or that the natives were killed by Stump in retaliation for the deaths of his wife and children at the hands of Native American raiders. The two men were arrested and taken to the Cumberland County jail at Carlisle for trial, but were freed at the hands of a sympathetic mob. The men were never recaptured.^[3]

The section of the borough located on the southern bank of the Middle Creek was developed in a manner entirely different from that of the settlement on the northern bank. This portion of the town began with a few pioneer homes and a grist mill known as the Franklin Roller Mills. When the Sunbury and Lewistown Railroad was constructed, more lots for homes were laid out, and the southern section of the town was first known as Franklin, and later, Swineford.^{[citation needed]} In January 1917, the property owners in Swineford petitioned the Middleburgh borough for annexation, and this wish was granted in February of the same year.^{[citation needed]}

Despite the fact that the two towns were united under one government in 1917, two separate and distinct post offices operated in the borough until March 1955, when the Swineford post office was closed. The Swineford name is still used by the Swineford National Bank, which was founded in Swineford in 1903 and is listed as a part of the Fulton Financial Family in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

A major employer in the town following the Second World War was the Middleburg Tannery. This facility employed nearly sixty men and tanned high grade sole leather. Most of the raw material used at the plant came from South America, and many of the finished products were used in the manufacture of Florsheim Shoes. The tannery complex was leveled by a devastating fire in June 1967 and it was never rebuilt.^[4]

Middleburg is also home to the main processing plant of Ira Middleswarth and Son, Inc., the manufacturer of Middleswarth Potato Chips.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

Government

Middleburg is in the 82nd Legislative District for the Pennsylvania General Assembly held by C. Adam Harris. Pennsylvania Senate District 27 is held by John Gordner. Middleburg is in the United States House of Representatives 10th District held by Rep. Thomas Marino. Pennsylvania is represented in the United States Senate by Senator Bob Casey, Jr. and Senator Pat Toomey.

Schools

Midd-West School District is the area's public school system.

Map of Snyder County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Libraries

Middleburg Community Library is a public library that is part of the Snyder County Library system. It is located in the Community Building, 13 North Main Street, Middleburg. [phone] Patrons have free use of the PA Power Library and Access Pennsylvania which provide extensive online resources for children and adults. In February 2011 the library was renovated and updated.^{[citation needed]} There are also branches of the library system at 111 W. Walnut Street, Beavertown, and Library Lane in McClure.

There are three regular regional newspapers: The Snyder County Times, The Shopper and the Daily Item.

Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 1,382 people, 611 households, and 378 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,557.3 people per square mile (599.5/km²). There were 653 housing units at an average density of 735.8 per square mile (283.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.55% White, 0.43% African American, 0.29% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.

There were 611 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $30,766, and the median income for a family was $36,944. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $22,422 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,660. About 9.2% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ Local places renamed, The Writings of Agnes Selin Schoch, reprinted by Snyder County Times, February 23, 2008.
3. ^ Dunkelberger, George F.: The Story of Snyder County pps. 228-233. Gateway Press, Inc., 1997.
4. ^ Middleburg Bicentennial Committee: Middleburg, A Bicentennial Book,pps. 1, 2, 5 and 24. Country Print Shop, 1976.
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Snyder County Government directory