Clymer, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clymer is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Clymer is located at (40.668977, -79.011925)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,547 people, 679 households, and 418 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,606.6 people per square mile (1,012.4/km²). There were 734 housing units at an average density of 1,236.8/sq mi (480.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.55% White, 0.19% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.19% of the population.
There were 679 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the borough the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,688, and the median income for a family was $36,688. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,250. About 14.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
George Clymer, born in Philadelphia in 1739 played an important role in the founding and organization of the United States . He served as a colonel in the Revolutionary War and signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution one of only eight men to hold this distinction. During the Revolution he was elected to the First Congress of the United States and served as the continental treasurer. Clymer was also a member of the convention, which framed the constitution of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania General Assembly. While serving in the Continental Convention he contributed large sums of money to secure provisions for Washington ’s army and performed many other services for his country. George Clymer’s ties with Indiana County and Clymer began in 1776 when he bought ten parcels of land, totaling 3,050 acres (12 km²) from Samuel Pleasants of Philadelphia paying 1800 pounds of lawful current money of Pennsylvania . Some years before the formation of Indiana County in 1803, Clymer had appropriated Colonial Alexander Craig of Westmoreland County as his agent to negotiate with Indiana County trustees regarding the granting of land for a county seat. The act of March 25, 1805 authorized the county trustees to accept Clymer’s offer of 250 acres (1 km²) for the County seat and to name the new town “ Indiana ”.
With the exception of some notable incidents of the kidnapping of fugitive slaves in 1845, on the farm of Dr. Robert Mitchell, there was little activity in the Clymer area before 1900. The following families owned some of the land upon which Clymer is located: the Weimers, Lydicks, McGuires, Rhodes, Creswells, Kepharts, O’Neils and Siverds. On March 17, 1905 , 100 years after Clymer’s gift of 250 acres (1 km²) for the county seat, officials of the New York Central Railroad decided upon the present location of Clymer for the new town. Clymer was thus situated over a tract of rich coal reserve known as the “Dixonville Field”. Attorney John S. Fisher of Indiana , acting for the railroad, secured options in that part of Clymer owned by Mrs. Nancy O’Neil and Mr. J.B. Siverd and their deeds were transformed to the Land Company by May 3, 1905 . Formation of the Dixonville Run Land Company was established by the New York Central Railroad to set up and develop the new coal town and the sale of lots that established a population necessary for the Coal industry. On October 11 and 12 of 1905, 103 lots were sold at an average price of $306. John S. Fisher who later became governor of Pennsylvania suggested a name for this new town which was finally adopted – Clymer, honoring the great revolutionary Patriot George Clymer. The Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation, a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad, was then formed to produce coal exclusively for the railroad.
The town of Clymer grew very rapidly and was incorporated as a borough in 1908 with streets named after signers of the Declaration of Independence. The first family in Clymer was the John Dillen family, which came here September 25, 1905 and started a boarding house on Hancock Street between third and fourth streets. The fifty to sixty boarders were engineers and officials of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation who were overlooking the building of the new town. The first store in Clymer was the Clearfield Supply Company store located on Adams Street and later rebuilt on Sixth Street now occupied by Mr. B’s Furniture Store. The town of Clymer grew very rapidly and by October 30, 1907 there were about 400 buildings and a population of at least 1500 on February 29, 1908 , Clymer was incorporated as a borough with an area of 304.78 acres. The first chief executive official of Clymer, Burgess J.A. Dearolph, had the job of enforcing the rules and regulations of the borough with the power to veto actions of the Borough Council. The law – making body of the borough is the Borough Council – the body that makes the rules and regulations of the borough with the power to over-ride a veto by the Burgess.
By 1910, the population was 1753 and in 1914 the town boundaries were enlarged by an extensive addition because of rapid growth. In 1920 there were 2867 people living in Clymer. Clymer reached its highest population in 1940 when 3082 people were recorded in the census. Since then, the population of Clymer has declined to 1547 according to the new 2000 census.
The first schoolhouse in Clymer was built in 1906 by Cherryhill Township since the town was not yet a borough. It was a four-room frame structure located on Hancock Street . In 1909 it was enlarged by the addition of 4 more rooms and encased in brick and was known as many students as the Primary Building . In 1912 a 2-room structure was erected in Sample Run as a school which later became the Boston family residence. Mr. Gladstone Christie was the first and only graduate in Clymer in 1913. In 1916 the new four-room high school was built on Hancock Street , opposite the Primary Building . In 1923 a new 8-room building was built in Morris Street to house high school classes until 1926 when 8 more rooms were added to the original high school building on Hancock Street . A beautiful and spacious lawn adjoining the high school building was built sometime in the 1930’s by the Works Progress Administration and it included the only outdoor high school stage in the county.
Although the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation was the main employer in Clymer, a second corporation, the Clymer Brick and Fire Clay Company, incorporated on April 9, 1907 and was also a major contributor to the Clymer employment scene. The president of this company was the Honorable John S. Fisher, later Governor of Pennsylvania. The clay deposit that supplied the plant was of excellent composition about 17 inches thick underlying a 3 ½ foot coal vein. This brickyard was later sold to Swank Refractories in 1917, which then produced materials for the steel industry. By the mid 1950’s the Clearfield Bituminous Company at Sample Run closed down. With Swank Refractories following suit in 1977. The two remaining major employers in Clymer are Polyvision, A Nelson Adams Company, located at the old brickyard site, and Whipstock Natural Gas Company, situated on Franklin Street .
One of the early events that shaped the history of Clymer was the terrible fire, which began in the “Opera House” located on Franklin Street , across from the American Legion Building . It spread to adjoining buildings including Neeley’s Livery Stable even though there were fire hydrants near by, the problem being there was no hose to hook up to the hydrants, so volunteers resorted to the “bucket brigade”. The total fire loss amounted to about $20,000.00 and would have been much greater, had the Indiana Fire Company not brought the much needed hose to bring the fire under control. The Borough Council came under severe criticism for not buying the needed fire hose. As a result of the public uproar over the disaster, the Clymer Volunteer Fire Company was organized in 1909. The Clymer Volunteer Fire Company to the point 1934 referred them referred to in the Pittsburgh Press as “one of the most efficient fire fighting outfits in the state”. Presently the Fire Company has 37 members and 7 trucks that respond to fires or emergencies.
Another event, the worst disaster of Clymer’s History was the explosion on August 26 of 1926 at the Number 1 mine of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Company, at Sample Run. Of the 57 men working in the mines that day, 44 men ranging in age from 17 – 52 were killed. Rescue workers saved four men and 9 working by the mine opening were able to escape uninjured. A memorial displaying the names of the 44 victims of this accident is located on the front lawn of the Borough Building on Sixth Street .
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Clymer, Pennsylvania is at coordinates Coordinates:
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