Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania

For other other Pennsylvania townships with similar names, see Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania (disambiguation).
Stonycreek Township,
Somerset County,
Pennsylvania
Township
Stonycreek Township


Map of Somerset County, Pennsylvania Highlighting Stonycreek Township

Map of Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Somerset
Area
 • Total 61.4 sq mi (159 km2)
 • Land 61.2 sq mi (159 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Population (2000)
 • Total 2,221
 • Density 36.3/sq mi (14.0/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)

Stonycreek Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township takes its name from the Stony creek which for a part of its course flows through it and then becomes its western boundary. As a stream it takes its name from the rocky bed over which It flows in a great part of its course. Its Indian name was Sinne- Hanne or Achsin-Hanne. Hanne, meaning a stream and especially a swift mountain stream." The population was 2,221 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

What is now Stonycreek Township was settled in 1762. Most old records call it Stony Creek. The Township was incorporated in 1792 from portions of Quemahoning Township as the last of the six original townships of Somerset County.

The Glessner Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

September 11 attacks

The crash site

Stonycreek Township gained worldwide attention on September 11, 2001, when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed there, killing everyone aboard. Flight 93 was one of four airliners hijacked that day as part of the al-Qaeda terrorist attack on the United States. It is widely held that the Flight 93 hijackers intended to use the craft to destroy the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The crash here was a result of a struggle over control of the plane between hijackers and passengers, who learned of the plane's intended fate through cellphone calls to and from family members. The community intends to preserve the Flight 93 crash site as a historical memorial.

Flight 93 memorials

Flight 93 National Memorial

Photo of George W. Bush and Laura Bush visiting Stonycreek Township on September 11, 2002.

The original temporary memorial to the passengers and crew of Flight 93 was located on a hill, about 500 yards from the crash site. On July 8, 2010, a new temporary entrance and memorial were opened at an area called "The Western Overlook". It is where the FBI set up their command center and where family members first saw the aftermath of the crash, bringing their own memorials, where visitors can leave them today. The initial phase of permanent construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial, including the visitor's center, will be completed by the 10th anniversary in 2011. The first phase of the permanent memorial was completed, opened, and dedicated on September 10, 2011. The current design for the memorial is a modified version of the entry Crescent of Embrace by Paul and Milena Murdoch. The memorial was be built around the crash site, following the plane's flight path, and protects the area of impact, known as the "Sacred Ground", which will remain protected and accessible only to family members of the passengers and crew.

Geography

Stonycreek Township is located approximately at 40.01°N by 78.88°W, about 3 miles (4.8 km) WSW of Indian Lake, Pennsylvania. It is bordered to the north by Shade Township; to the west by Somerset Township; to the south by Brothersvalley Township; and to the east by Allegheny Township.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 61.4 square miles (159.1 km2), of which, 61.2 square miles (158.4 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2) of it (0.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,221 people, 820 households, and 634 families residing in the township. The population density was 36.3 people per square mile (14.0/km2). There were 1,033 housing units at an average density of 16.9/sq mi (6.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.96% White, 0.09% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.23% of the population.

There were 820 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $33,828, and the median income for a family was $38,418. Males had a median income of $30,236 versus $21,714 for females. The per capita income for the township was $14,463. About 9.6% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

[1] Blackburn & Welfley’s “History of Bedford & Somerset Counties”, 1906. Lewis Publishing Co. Vol. II, p. 641-643

Coordinates: 39°59′00″N 78°51′59″W / 39.98333°N 78.86639°W / 39.98333; -78.86639

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