Stockertown, Pennsylvania

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Stockertown is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Stockertown is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.

The population of Stockertown was 687 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 Public Education 4 History 4.1 The Stockers 4.2 John LeFevre 4.3 Dr. James Fetherolf 4.4 Friedenstahl 4.5 Formation of a Boro 5 Sinkhole Dilemma 6 External links

[edit] Geography

Stockertown is located at 40°45′15″N, 75°15′53″W (40.754064, -75.264775)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²). 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.99% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 687 people, 279 households, and 195 families residing in the borough. The population density was 265.3/km² (689.5/mi²). There were 293 housing units at an average density of 113.1/km² (294.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.56% White, 0.15% African American, 0.15% Asian, 0.15% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.29% of the population.

There were 279 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $48,542, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $39,926 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,984. About 5.1% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Public Education

The residents of Stockertown are served by the Nazareth Area School District

[edit] History

An 1877 lithograph print of the Sandt & Co. Building (now Hearthstone Fireplace and apartments) and The Centennial Hotel (now Tony's Pizza and apartments).

[edit] The Stockers

Michael and Margaret Stocker arrived in Philadelphia in September 1731, and later settled in Berks county. Michael Stocker came first came to the Bushkill Valley in 1774 from Hereford Township when John LeFevre wrote his last will and testament. A 1776 map shows that the Stockers owned land south of Friedenstahl.

[edit] John LeFevre

LeFevre was born to a French Heuguenot family in Worcester Township, an area near Philadelphia. He married Christina Wentz, a good cook of German descent. In 1743 he traveled North, and built his home along what became known as LeFevre's Creek (now the Little Bushkill Creek). His home, in which he served trout caught from the creek, later became an inn.

[edit] Dr. James Fetherolf

Born December 10, 1857 in Lancaster county, he moved to Stockertown in 1887 after he graduated high school to begin his practice. He had an extensive practice encompassing not only Stockertown, but the rest of the countryside. For many years, he used a horse and buggy as his main form of transportation, but when cars b ecame practical, his first one was a Buick. He owned the first radio in Stockertown.

[edit] Friedenstahl

The Mill on the Christian Spring in Nazareth was experiencing trouble because of a lack of water, so a better place was found. In January of 1750, Henry Antes (who was a "Trustee of the Economy") brought 324 acres on either side of the Bushkill and LeFevre creeks. They called the area "Friedenstahl" or "Vale of Peace." The mill was completed by August of that year, and the house that was built along with it was the location of the first printing press in Northeastern Pennsylvania. What is left of the village lies in the area east of the intersection of Friedenstahl Avenue (Commerce Way) and West Center Street (Hercules Drive).

[edit] Formation of a Boro

In 1900, the citizens of Stockertown decided to try to incorporate their village into a borough. They drew up a petition and presented it to the Northampton County Court of Quarter Sessions, and after legal investigations, Judge Henry W. Scott incorporated Stockertown into a borough.

[edit] Sinkhole Dilemma

In 2000, the Bushkill Street bridge was closed due to sinkhole damage. Sinkholes are common to the general area due to karst topography. While, most locals will claim that the Hercules Cement quarry on the edge of town is the culprit. In 2003, a sinkhole opened under Route 33, a local limited access highway.

A police officer driving past saw what turned out to be a crack in the northbound bridge, and immediately closed the road. Less than a month later a sinkhole opened under the southbound bridge. The Route 33 bridges have been fixed, but the Bushkill Street bridge remains closed.

[edit] External links

• Stockertown Sinkhole Dilemma
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.754064° -75.264775°
  • 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