Port Matilda, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Port Matilda is a borough
in Centre County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 638 at the 2000 census.
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 638 people, 257 households, and 170 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 1,169.4 people per square mile (447.9/km²). There were 274 housing units at an average density of 502.2 per square mile (192.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.90% White, 0.16% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.47% from other races
, and 0.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.
There were 257 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $31,932, and the median income for a family was $37,344. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $23,375 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $15,753. About 16.2% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
and founded by Fred McFeely, the grandfather of children's television personality Fred Rogers. The company was later owned by General Refractories, which closed the Port Matilda plant in 1959. Its primary product was silica fire brick made from ganister
rock, using beehive kiln
s. Its bricks were typically stamped "Vulcan".
Borough (Pennsylvania)
In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
in Centre County
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 638 at the 2000 census.
History
The John Gray HouseJohn Gray House (Port Matilda, Pennsylvania)
John Gray House is a historic home located at Port Matilda, Patton Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1793, and is a 2 1/2-story, five bay, stone dwelling with an exposed basement. The interior has a traditional Georgian center hall plan....
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975.
Geography
Port Matilda is located at 40°48′0"N 78°3′4"W (40.800056, -78.051119).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 638 people, 257 households, and 170 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,169.4 people per square mile (447.9/km²). There were 274 housing units at an average density of 502.2 per square mile (192.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.90% White, 0.16% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.47% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.
There were 257 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $31,932, and the median income for a family was $37,344. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $23,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $15,753. About 16.2% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
Squire Clement Beckwith laid out the town in 1850 and named it to honor his daughter, Matilda. Why he chose to call it Port Matilda is not clear, but the name may have reflected his hope that the town would eventually be connected to the Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania canal. While the canal did not reach Port Matilda, the Bald Eagle Railroad did, and the community became a market center in the Bald Eagle Valley for agricultural and lumber products.Industrial History
Port Matilda was home to McFeely Brick Co., located on Brick St. at the northeast end of the town adjacent to the railroad. The company was based at Latrobe, PennsylvaniaLatrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
and founded by Fred McFeely, the grandfather of children's television personality Fred Rogers. The company was later owned by General Refractories, which closed the Port Matilda plant in 1959. Its primary product was silica fire brick made from ganister
Ganister
A ganister is hard, fine-grained quartzose sandstone, or orthoquartzite, used in the manufacture of silica brick typically used to line furnaces...
rock, using beehive kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s. Its bricks were typically stamped "Vulcan".