Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania

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Picture Rocks is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 693 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Native American influence 1.2 Early settlers 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Reference 5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Native American influence

Picture Rocks was incorporated as a borough om September 27, 1875. But the history of Picture Rocks began long before European settlers first arrived in 1773. The name of the borough is derived from the pictographs that were left by some of the Native Americans that a previously inhabited the Muncy Creek valley. The paintings on the cliffs above Muncy Creek have long since disappeared. The town is built upon land that was once a Munsee Indian village. Evidence of this is found in the arrowheads and other relics that have been found in the vicinity of the creek.

[edit] Early settlers

The first warrant for property in the Picture Rocks area was issued by the Province of Pennsylvania to Henry Rody on June 3, 1773. The land was used very little and passed through several hands until 1848 when it was sold to A. R. Sprout and Amos Burrows who went on to become the founding fathers of Picture Rocks. Sprout and Burrows worked to cleared the land that was thought to be worthless of the rocks, logs and brush that covered it. They also rebuilt an abandonded sawmill and established a factory that manufactured sashes, doors, and window blinds. This factory, the first of its kind in the area, caused a stir among the local carpenters who believed that the ready made building materials would curtail their profit making ability.

The town grew up around the factory and soon other manufacturers arrived to harness the water power provided by Muncy Creek. People interested in by a lot in Picture Rocks were required to sign an agreement stating that they would not open a saloon or engage in the trafficking of liquor. This law was made by the residents and founders of the town, a majority of them being Baptists.

The Baptists of Picture Rocks organized as a congregation in 1840 and met for awhile in a school house. A traveling preacher arrived in Pictutre Rocks one Saturday evening and found the school to be unfit for Sunday gatherings. After delivering his Sunday morning sermon he rallied the members of the congregation around the cause of building a proper house of worship. Under the guidance of their new pastor the members of the Baptist Church built a log building that served has their church for 25 years that was replaced by a larger facility.

[edit] Geography

Picture Rocks is located at 41°16′48″N, 76°42′42″W (41.280066, -76.711731).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²), all land. Picture Rocks is in southeastern Lycoming County. It is bordered by Wolf Township to the west, Shrewsbury Township to the north and Penn Township to the east and south.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 693 people, 274 households, and 198 families residing in the borough. The population density was 284.6/km² (740.3/mi²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 118.3/km² (307.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.41% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.43% Asian, and 0.87% from two or more races.

There were 274 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $36,375, and the median income for a family was $45,568. Males had a median income of $31,103 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,402. About 8.5% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Reference

Meginness, John Franklin [1892]. "XXXI", 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.", 1st Edition, Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co.. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8. Retrieved on February 22, 2007. “(Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to scan of 1892 version with some OCR typos).” 

[edit] External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.280066° -76.711731°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA