Snake Spring Township, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Snake Spring Township is a township in Bedford County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 1,482 at the 2000 census.
, Bridge in Snake Spring Township
, and Juniata Woolen Mill and Newry Manor
are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, the township has a total area of 25.8 square miles (66.7 km²), all of it land.
valley, with Evitts Mountain
and Tussey Mountain
forming the limbs. The Silurian
Tuscarora Formation
, a hard sandstone
, outcrops at the crests of the ridges and is stratigraphically
higher and thus younger than the rest of the bedrock
in the valley. The low knobs or "benches" on the northwest side of Tussey Mountain and the southeast side of Evitts Mountain are formed by the Ordovician
Bald Eagle Formation
, another sandstone, that is stratigraphically below the Tuscarora. The two mountains nearly converge at the north end of the township. The rock formations in the valley range from Ordovician shale
s and limestone
s to the Cambrian
Warrior Formation
, another sandstone. The limestones can form sinkhole
s.
of 2000, there were 1,482 people, 552 households, and 432 families residing in the township. The population density
was 57.5 people per square mile (22.2/km²). There were 652 housing units at an average density of 25.3/sq mi (9.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.11% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.40% from other races
, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.20% of the population.
There were 552 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% were married couples
living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the township the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $36,389, and the median income for a family was $38,289. Males had a median income of $32,159 versus $17,772 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $16,801. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, 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...
. The population was 1,482 at the 2000 census.
History
The Defibaugh TavernDefibaugh Tavern
Defibaugh Tavern, also known as Willow Grove Tavern, is a historic tavern building located at Snake Spring Township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It was built about 1785, and is a 2 1/2-story, log and frame building with a double stacked porch. The original section was built of logs and it was...
, Bridge in Snake Spring Township
Bridge in Snake Spring Township
Bridge in Snake Spring Township is a historic masonry arch bridge located at Snake Spring Township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1934, and is a , open spandrel concrete arch bridge with five arches...
, and Juniata Woolen Mill and Newry Manor
Juniata Woolen Mill and Newry Manor
Juniata Woolen Mill and Newry Manor, also known as Lutz Mansion and Woolen Mill, Lux Vista, Lutz Mill, and Lutz Factory , is a historic woolen mill building and manor house located at Snake Spring Township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania...
are listed on 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...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 township has a total area of 25.8 square miles (66.7 km²), all of it land.
Adjacent municipalities
- Bedford Township (west)
- South Woodbury Township (north)
- Hopewell TownshipHopewell Township, Bedford County, PennsylvaniaHopewell Township is a township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,894 at the 2000 census.-History:The Halls Mill Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-Geography:...
(northeast) - West Providence Township (east)
- Colerain TownshipColerain Township, Bedford County, PennsylvaniaColerain Township is a township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,147 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Adjacent municipalities:*Bedford...
(south)
Geology
Snake Spring valley is an anticlinalAnticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
valley, with Evitts Mountain
Evitts Mountain
Evitts Mountain is a stratigraphic ridge in the Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachian Mountains, located in Bedford County, Pennsylvania and Allegany County, Maryland-Geography:...
and Tussey Mountain
Tussey Mountain
]Tussey Mountain is a stratigraphic ridge in central Pennsylvania, United States, trending east of the Bald Eagle, Brush, Dunning and Evitts Mountain ridges...
forming the limbs. The Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
Tuscarora Formation
Tuscarora Formation
The Silurian Tuscarora Formation — also known as Tuscarora Sandstone or Tuscarora Quartzite — is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.-Description:...
, a hard sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, outcrops at the crests of the ridges and is stratigraphically
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
higher and thus younger than the rest of the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
in the valley. The low knobs or "benches" on the northwest side of Tussey Mountain and the southeast side of Evitts Mountain are formed by the Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
Bald Eagle Formation
Bald Eagle Formation
The Ordovician Bald Eagle Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in central Pennsylvania, USA. It is a ridge-forming unit in the Appalachian Mountains.-Description:...
, another sandstone, that is stratigraphically below the Tuscarora. The two mountains nearly converge at the north end of the township. The rock formations in the valley range from Ordovician shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s to the Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
Warrior Formation
Warrior Formation
The Cambrian Warrior Formation is a mapped limestone bedrock unit in Pennsylvania.-Description:The Warrior Formation is described by Berg and others as gray, thin- to medium-bedded, fossiliferous, cyclic limestone bearing stromatolites, interbedded with shale, siltstone, and sandstone.-Fossils:*...
, another sandstone. The limestones can form sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s.
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 1,482 people, 552 households, and 432 families residing in the township. 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 57.5 people per square mile (22.2/km²). There were 652 housing units at an average density of 25.3/sq mi (9.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.11% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.40% 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 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.20% of the population.
There were 552 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the township the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $36,389, and the median income for a family was $38,289. Males had a median income of $32,159 versus $17,772 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 township was $16,801. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.