Editing Unity Township, Pennsylvania

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | official_name            = Unity Township, Pennsylvania
 | settlement_type          = [[Township (Pennsylvania)|Township]]
 | nickname                 = 
 | motto                    = 
 | image_skyline            = Unity Township, PA Municipal Building sign.jpg
 | imagesize                = 
 | image_caption            = Township office, Beatty County Road and Beatty Village Road
 | image_flag               = 
 | image_seal               = 
 | image_map                = Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Highlighting Unity Township.PNG
 | mapsize                  = 250x200px
 | map_caption              = Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Highlighting Unity Township
 | image_map1               = Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Westmoreland County.svg
 | mapsize1                 = 250x200px
 | map_caption1             = Map of Pennsylvania highlighting<br /> Westmoreland County
<!-- 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        = [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Westmoreland]]
 | government_footnotes     = 
 | government_type          = 
 | leader_title             = 
 | leader_name              = 
 | leader_title1            = 
 | leader_name1             = 
 | leader_title2            = 
 | leader_name2             = 
 | established_title        = Settled
 | established_date         = 1760
 | established_title1       = Incorporated
 | established_date1        = September 23, 1789
 | 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=August 14, 2017}}</ref>
 | area_magnitude           = 
 | area_total_km2           = 175.02
 | area_land_km2            = 174.67
 | area_water_km2           = 0.35
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 67.58
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 67.44
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.14
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020 United States Census]]
 | 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=July 26, 2022}}</ref>
 | population_total         = 21724
 | population_density_km2   = 
 | population_density_sq_mi = 
 | timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
 | utc_offset               = -5
 | timezone_DST             = EDT
 | utc_offset_DST           = -4
 | postal_code_type         = 
 | postal_code              = 
 | area_code                = 724
 | website                  = {{Official website}}
 | footnotes                = 
 | pop_est_as_of            = 2021
 | pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
 | population_est           = 21599
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 42-129-78656
}}

'''Unity Township''' is a [[Township (Pennsylvania)|township]] in [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Westmoreland County]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States. The population was 21,724 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/> a decline of approximately 4% compared to the 2010 census.

The township is home to [https://saintvincentarchabbey.org/who-we-are/ Saint Vincent Archabbey, College and Seminary], as well as [[Arnold Palmer Regional Airport]]. The [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] (once part of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] mainline) runs through the northern section of the township.<ref>{{cite web |title=Unity: Second Class Township Map |url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/64217.pdf|website=PennDot.gov |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Transportation |access-date=February 12, 2022}}</ref>

==History==
Unity Township was incorporated on September 23, 1789. Initial records show settlement going back to 1760. Residents of [[Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Mount Pleasant Township]] petitioned the court to establish a new township around the area next to the [[Loyalhanna creek]], based on the inconveniently large size of the existing township, which made it necessary to travel long distances to conduct township affairs. One of the oldest communities in the township was [[Youngstown, Pennsylvania|Youngstown]], an important stop in the wagon and [[stagecoach]] era, ca. 1818–1852, which became a separate [[borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in 1831.<ref>[http://www.pa-roots.com/~westmoreland/historyproject/vol1/chap41.html History of Westmoreland County Volume 1, Chapter 41]</ref>

The township is home to Unity Cemetery, which was established in 1774.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bell |first1=Joseph |title=Unity Cemetery, Chapel mark monumental anniversaries |url=https://www.latrobebulletinnews.com/news/local/unity-cemetery-chapel-mark-monumental-anniversaries/article_5fd509b0-08cf-5a75-954d-d23174b1e71a.html |website=Latrobe Bulletin News}}</ref> Some 15,000 people are believed to buried in the cemetery,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Himler |first1=Jeff |title=Yearlong Celebrations: Latrobe Presbyterians mark 250th anniversary of Unity Cemetery |publisher=Tribune Review, Pittsburgh PA |date=March 3, 2024}}</ref> including Colonel John Proctor,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burke |first1=Mike |title=Don't Tread on Me: The Flag of Colonel John Proctor's 1st Battalion of Westmoreland County, Pa. |url=https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/blog/fort-pitt-museum/dont-tread-on-me |website=Heinz History Center |date=June 14, 2018 |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref> 31 other Revolutionary War veterans, U.S. Congressman [[William Findley]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wertz |first1=Marjorie |title=Unity Cemetery a lesson in military history |url=https://archive.triblive.com/news/unity-cemetery-a-lesson-in-military-history/ |website=TribLive |publisher=Tribune-Review |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref> and television host [[Fred Rogers]].

In 1847 the [[Sisters of Mercy]], an Irish Catholic order, established St. Xavier's Academy for Girls in Unity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zufelt |first1=Jerry |title=History of the Diocese |url=https://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=695444&article_id=3921744&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5 |website=The Catholic Accent |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref> In time, it expanded to include a convent. The buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1972, but the sisters' cemetery on the former school grounds in Unity remains.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Rebekah |title=Sisters of Mercy continue to serve Pittsburghers in need |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2004/12/05/Sisters-of-Mercy-continue-to-serve-Pittsburghers-in-need/stories/200412050172 |publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=St. Xavier Academy relocated |url=https://thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=TPC19720324-01.1.3 |website=Catholic News Archive |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=St. Xavier's historical marker |url=https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-373 |website=Explore PA History}}</ref>

For a time the coal industry "dwarfed all others" in the township, according to historian John Boucher, writing in 1906.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boucher |first1=John Newton |title=The History of Westmoreland County |date=1906 |page=554 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quEKAAAAYAAJ |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref> Mines which once operated in Unity Township included those named Carney, Humphries, Dorothy, [[Marguerite, Pennsylvania|Marguerite]], Mutual, Puritan (in [[Baggaley, Pennsylvania|Baggaley]]), [[Whitney, Pennsylvania|Whitney]], Jamison No. 20 (in [[Pleasant Unity, Pennsylvania|Pleasant Unity]]), [[Hostetter, Pennsylvania|Hostetter]], Beatty and [https://www.academia.edu/41551933/ST_VINCENT_S_Saint_Vincent_s_Shaft_Mine_St_Vincent_Shaft_Mine_Village_of_St_Vincent_Shaft_Unity_Township_Westmoreland_Co_Pennsylvania_U_S_A St. Vincent's Shaft]. Many of them were constructed in the period 1880 to 1900. All have long since closed. Extensive land remediation has taken place and few traces of the mines remain, but their names survive in township neighborhoods and streets.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Muller, Edward and Carlisle, Ronald |title=Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites |date=1994 |publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior |pages=53–124 |url=https://gis.penndot.gov/CRGISAttachments/Survey/1994-H001-129.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Monastery Run Improvement Project History |url=http://www.wpnr.org/monastery-run.html |website=Winnie Palmer Nature Preserve |access-date=March 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Federoff |first1=Stacey |title=Treatment ponds for mine drainage planned for Unity |url=https://archive.triblive.com/local/westmoreland/treatment-ponds-for-mine-drainage-planned-for-unity/ |website=TribLive |publisher=Tribune-Review |access-date=February 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Himler |first1=Jeff |title=Ligonier coal company honored for mining reclamation |url=https://archive.triblive.com/news/ligonier-coal-company-honored-for-mining-reclamation/ |website=TribLive |publisher=Tribune-Review |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WPCAMR means hope for Western Pennsylvania's Streams |url=http://www.wpcamr.org/ |website=Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation |access-date=February 13, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Washlaski |first1=Raymond A. |title=Saint Vincent's Shaft Mine |url=https://www.academia.edu/41551933/ST_VINCENT_S_Saint_Vincent_s_Shaft_Mine_St_Vincent_Shaft_Mine_Village_of_St_Vincent_Shaft_Unity_Township_Westmoreland_Co_Pennsylvania_U_S_A |website=Virtual Museum of Coal Mining in Pennsylvania |publisher=academia.edu |access-date=March 3, 2024}}</ref>

[[Carr's Tunnel]], an abandoned railroad tunnel, is located in Unity Township. Locally known as Witches' Tunnel, it is on a now-dismantled spur of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] which serviced coal mines in the area, including the Carney mine.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carr's Tunnel and Carney Mine |url=http://coalandcoke.blogspot.com/2017/11/carrs-tunnel-and-carney-mine.html |website=Old Industry of Southwestern Pennsylvania |access-date=March 3, 2024}}</ref>

The [[Kingston House (Pennsylvania)|Kingston House]] and [[St. Vincent Archabbey Gristmill]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of 67.3&nbsp;square miles (174.2&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}), of which 67.1&nbsp;square miles (173.8&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}) is land and 0.2&nbsp;square mile (0.4&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}) (0.24%) is water.

The township contains the following communities: Baggaley, Beatty, Carney, Denison, Donohoe, Dorothy, Dry Ridge, George's Station, Greenwald, Hostetter, Humphreys, [[Lawson Heights, Pennsylvania|Lawson Heights]], [[Lloydsville, Pennsylvania|Lloydsville]], Lycippus, Manito, Marguerite, Mutual, Old Crabtree, [[Pleasant Unity, Pennsylvania|Pleasant Unity]], and Whitney.<ref>{{cite web |title=2024 Fact Book - Neighborhoods |url=https://www.latrobebulletinnews.com/2024-fact-book---neighborhoods/article_949a0db2-9516-548b-b7a9-6d82317c457d.html |website=Latrobe Bulletin |access-date=1 May 2025}}</ref> To the west lies [[Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Hempfield Township]]; to the east, [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania|Latrobe Borough]] and [[Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Derry Township]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1940= 10994
|1950= 12392
|1960= 15519
|1970= 18419
|1980= 19976
|1990= 20109
|2000= 21137
|2010= 22607
|2020= 21724
|estimate= 21599
|estyear= 2021
|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><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-40.pdf | title=1990 Census of Population and Housing - Unit Counts Pennsylvania | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108173918/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-40.pdf | archive-date=2021-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/17216604v1p40ch02.pdf | title=Number of Inhabitants - Pennsylvania}}</ref>
}}
At the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] there were 21,137 people, 7,963 households, and 5,773 families living in the township. The population density was {{convert|315.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 8,372 housing units at an average density of {{convert|124.8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2000 census|racial makeup]] of the township was 98.12% White, 0.32% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.42%.<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>

Of the 7,963 households 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 24.6% of households were one person and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution was 21.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median household income was $40,585 and the median family income was $49,593. Males had a median income of $37,907 versus $26,164 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,116. About 5.8% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
*[[William Findley]], U.S. Congressman, 1791–1797
*[[John Latta (politician)|John Latta]] (1836–1913), 1st Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Latrobe PA looking from saint mary's - panoramio.jpg|View from Unity Cemetery towards Chestnut Ridge
File:Unity Cemetery Westmoreland County PA.jpg|Historic graves in Unity Cemetery
File:Kingston House Johnston House Pa 2012.jpg|Kingston (Johnston) House, National Register of Historic Places
File:Humphries mine Unity Twp PA USA.jpg|Remediated coal mine site
File:Carr's (Witches') Tunnel in 2013 02.JPG|Carr's (Witches') Tunnel
File:1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Westmoreland County - ED 65-224, ED 65-225, ED 65-226 - NARA - 5859880.jpg|1940 Census description of township boundaries and St. Xavier's
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.unitytownship.org/ Unity Township official site]
* USGS Geological Survey Map of Unity Township dated 1987. Identifies neighborhoods, former mine sites. 
# [http://www.usgwarchives.net/maps/pa/county/westmo/usgs/unitywst.jpg Unity West] 
# [http://www.usgwarchives.net/maps/pa/county/westmo/usgs/unityest.jpg Unity East]
{{Pittsburgh Metro Area}}
{{Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania}}

{{coord|40|14|00|N|79|21|59|W|type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1760]]
[[Category:Townships in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Townships in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1789 establishments in Pennsylvania]]