Editing Old Lycoming Township, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Township in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Distinguish|Lycoming Township, Pennsylvania}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Old Lycoming Township,<br />Lycoming County,<br />Pennsylvania
| settlement_type    = [[Township (Pennsylvania)|Township]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Old Lycoming Twp. Fire Hall.JPG
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = Old Lycoming Township Volunteer Fire Department and Social Hall 1600 Dewey Avenue, Williamsport, PA 17701
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = Map of Lycoming County Pennsylvania Highlighting Old Lycoming Township.png
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Map of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania highlighting Old Lycoming Township
| image_map1         = Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lycoming County.svg
| mapsize1           = 250px
| map_caption1       = Map of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Pennsylvania]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = Second Class Township
| leader_title       = Chair
| leader_name        = David Shirn
| leader_title1      = Vice-chair
| leader_name1       = Justin Kastner
| leader_title2      = Supervisor
| leader_name2       = Rick Metz
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 1773
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1  = 1785

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_42.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=Aug 14, 2017}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 24.45
| area_land_km2      = 24.31
| area_water_km2     = 0.15
| area_total_sq_mi   = 9.44
| area_land_sq_mi    = 9.38
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.06

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=15 July 2022}}</ref>
| population_total   = 4973 {{increase}}
| population_density_km2 = 205.83
| population_density_sq_mi = 533.08

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 241
| elevation_ft       = 791
| coordinates        = {{coord|41|15|37|N|77|3|24|W|region:US-PA|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 17701
| area_code          = [[Area code 570|570]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 42-081-56608
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1216766<ref name="GR3" />
| website            = {{URL|www.oldlycomingtwp.org}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 2021
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
| population_est     = 4965
}}
'''Old Lycoming Township''' is a [[List of municipalities in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|township]] in [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming County]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States. The population was 4,973 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]]<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/> up from 4,938 in [[2010 United States Census|2010]]. It is part of the [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]] [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
Old Lycoming Township is a township in Lycoming County that is actually older than the county. It was formed as part of [[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania|Northumberland County]] on August 22, 1785, ten years before the formation of Lycoming County. The original boundaries of the township encompassed much of the territory that was previously governed by the [[Fair Play Men]]. The land between [[Lycoming Creek|Lycoming]] and [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine]] creeks was outside of the legal boundaries of Pennsylvania until 1784 and the second [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix]]. The Fair Play Men operated a system of self-government from 1773 to 1785. Their claims to the land had no legal bearing in the state of Pennsylvania when it was finally legally part of the state. These men had some troubles gaining the title to the land that they had cleared and so long defended; ultimately, some obtained title to their lands, while others removed westward.<ref name="history">{{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = 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. 
 | year = 1892
 | url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html
 | access-date = 2007-04-29
 | edition = 1st
 | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co.
 | location = Chicago
 | isbn = 0-7884-0428-8
 | chapter = Old Lycoming, Anthony, Woodward, and Lycoming
 | chapter-url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-44.html
 | quote = (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[Optical Character Recognition|OCR]] typos).
}}</ref>

In the [[American Revolutionary War]], settlements throughout the Susquehanna Valley, including what is now Old Lycoming Township, were attacked by [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] and Native Americans allied with the British. In the early summer of 1778 news came of a group of Native American warriors, perhaps accompanied by Loyalist and British soldiers, heading for the [[West Branch Susquehanna River Valley]] to destroy settlements. There were many smaller incidents of violence against settlers, but on June 10, 1778, a party of sixteen settlers was attacked in what is now [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]]. In what became known as the "Plum Tree Massacre", twelve of the sixteen were killed and [[Scalping|scalped]], including two women and six children. The [[Battle of Wyoming|Wyoming Valley Massacre]] occurred on July 3, 1778 (near what is now [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]). This news caused the local authorities to order the evacuation of the whole West Branch valley.

Most of the settlers did not return to their farms until after [[Sullivan's Expedition]] had driven off the Indian and Loyalist threat. John McMeens, a native of [[South Carolina]], was one of the first to return to the area. He had settled along the river in 1776. He fled during the [[Big Runaway]] and returned in 1791. McMeens rose to a position of prominence in Lycoming County. He was a [[county commissioner]], state commissioner, and member of the initial committee that explored to possibility of building the [[Pennsylvania Canal]] that improved navigation on the [[Susquehanna River]]. McMeens also represented the area in the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] from 1814 to 1818.

Derick Updegraff arrived in Old Lycoming Township from [[York County, Pennsylvania]], in 1787. He settled on land that had previously been improved during the Fair Play Men era. He was not able to claim legal control of his {{convert|500|acre|km2}} until 1793 as the result of a lawsuit over the land filed by the man who had previously claimed it. Updegraff and his sons improved the land by clearing many more acres and building what was one of the largest barns in Lycoming County.

Today Old Lycoming Township includes the census designated area of [[Garden View, Pennsylvania|Garden View]], a suburb to Williamsport with many family homes and an extensive stretch of commercial and light industrial development along Lycoming Creek Road.

==Geography==
Old Lycoming Township is in central Lycoming County and is bordered by [[Lycoming Township, Pennsylvania|Lycoming Township]] to the north, [[Loyalsock Township, Pennsylvania|Loyalsock Township]] to the east, the Newberry section of [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]] to the south, and [[Woodward Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Woodward Township]] to the west. The eastern border of Old Lycoming Township is formed by [[Lycoming Creek]]. [[U.S. Route 15]], the [[Appalachian Thruway]], crosses the east side of the township in the Lycoming Creek valley, with access from Exit 137 at the southern border of the township, serving Garden View, and from Exit 140 at the northern border, serving the neighborhood of Woodlawn Park.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|24.5|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|24.3|sqkm|order=flip}} are  land and {{convert|0.1|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 0.61%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016"/> Lycoming Creek, on the eastern border of the township, is a south-flowing tributary of the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]]. While most of the township drains to Lycoming Creek, the southwest part of the township drains to Daugherty Run, a separate south-flowing tributary of the West Branch.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2010= 4938
|2020= 4973
|estyear=2021
|estimate=4965
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 5,508 people, 2,280 households, and 1,589 families residing in the township. The population density was {{convert|583.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,369 housing units at an average density of {{convert|250.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the township was 97.39% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.84% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.16% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.78% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.18% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.65% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.24% of the population.

There were 2,280 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the township the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $39,852, and the median income for a family was $46,429. Males had a median income of $37,116 versus $21,935 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $19,236. About 6.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{Official|www.oldlycomingtwp.org}}

{{Lycoming County, Pennsylvania}}

[[Category:Townships in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1773]]
[[Category:1773 establishments in Pennsylvania]]