Susquehanna Depot, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Susquehanna Depot, often referred to simply as Susquehanna, is a borough in Susquehanna County
, Pennsylvania
, located on the Susquehanna River
23 miles (37 km) southeast of Binghamton, New York
. In the past, railroad locomotive
s and railroad car
s were made here. It is also known for its Pennsylvania Bluestone
quarries.
The behavioral scientist B. F. Skinner
was born in Susquehanna.
In 1900, 3,813 people lived here, and in 1910, 3,478. The borough population was 1,690 as of the 2000 census.
, a monumental structure spanning Starrucca Creek
. Concurrently the railroad established workshop
s in what would eventually be known as Susquehanna Depot. Initially 350 workers were employed. The line opened for traffic in 1851.
The borough was incorporated in 1853. In 1863 the Erie shops were expanded to cover 8 acres (3.2 ha), and they employed 700 workers by 1865, and later over 1,000. The complex included a 33-stall roundhouse
, a rail yard
, a foundry, gas works, oil works, and offices. The Susquehanna railroad station
, which included a large hotel called the Starrucca House, opened in 1865.
The railroad converted the Starrucca House to offices and staff housing c. 1903. A new roundhouse complex was constructed between 1904 and 1911, and other shop buildings were added through the 1920s. In 1928 the railroad relocated its locomotive shops to Hornell, New York
, and moved other shops out of Susquehanna in 1929, but retained a coach shop with reduced staffing through the 1950s. In 1952 Erie closed the roundhouse, as it converted its steam locomotive roster to diesel locomotive
s. By the end of the decade, Erie had moved all of its remaining shop operations to Meadville
.
Erie merged into the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad (EL) in 1960, and the latter ended passenger train service in 1968. EL went bankrupt in 1972 and was absorbed into Conrail in 1976. Most of the railroad shop buildings were demolished in 1980-81.
With the demise of the local railroad industry, Susquehanna now has many small resident-owned businesses scattered along Main Street. Recent renovations to several Main Street buildings mark the first significant upturn in the local economy in several decades.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²), all of it land.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,690 people, 633 households, and 427 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 2,308.4 people per square mile (893.9/km²). There were 727 housing units at an average density of 993.0 per square mile (384.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.34% White, 0.12% African American, 0.95% Asian, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.
There were 633 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the borough the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $27,328, and the median income for a family was $31,522. Males had a median income of $29,327 versus $18,173 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $13,654. About 18.4% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
, 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...
, located on the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
23 miles (37 km) southeast of Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
. In the past, railroad locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s and railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s were made here. It is also known for its Pennsylvania Bluestone
Pennsylvania Bluestone
Pennsylvania Bluestone is a layered sandstone found only in the northeastern tier of Pennsylvania, parts of northern New Jersey and the southern tier of New York. The quarried product has many uses, from cut dimensional stone used in patios, walkways and stair treads to architectural stone used in...
quarries.
The behavioral scientist B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American behaviorist, author, inventor, baseball enthusiast, social philosopher and poet...
was born in Susquehanna.
In 1900, 3,813 people lived here, and in 1910, 3,478. The borough population was 1,690 as of the 2000 census.
History
The New York and Erie Railroad (later reorganized as the Erie Railroad) built a rail line through the county in 1848, including the Starrucca ViaductStarrucca Viaduct
Starrucca Viaduct is a stone arch bridge that spans Starrucca Creek near Lanesboro, Pennsylvania, in the United States. At the time of its construction, the bridge was thought to be the most expensive railway bridge in the world, at a cost of $320,000 , and it was the largest stone rail viaduct in...
, a monumental structure spanning Starrucca Creek
Starrucca Creek
Starrucca Creek is an tributary of the Susquehanna River in Susquehanna and Wayne counties, Pennsylvania, in the United States.The tributary Shadigee Creek joins Starrucca Creek just downstream of the borough of Starrucca....
. Concurrently the railroad established workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s in what would eventually be known as Susquehanna Depot. Initially 350 workers were employed. The line opened for traffic in 1851.
The borough was incorporated in 1853. In 1863 the Erie shops were expanded to cover 8 acres (3.2 ha), and they employed 700 workers by 1865, and later over 1,000. The complex included a 33-stall roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, a rail yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
, a foundry, gas works, oil works, and offices. The Susquehanna railroad station
Susquehanna (Erie Railroad station)
The Erie Railroad Station in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania was built by the Erie Railway in 1865. The three-story Gothic Revival structure included a large hotel, called Starrucca House, with rooms for 200 people and a long dining room...
, which included a large hotel called the Starrucca House, opened in 1865.
The railroad converted the Starrucca House to offices and staff housing c. 1903. A new roundhouse complex was constructed between 1904 and 1911, and other shop buildings were added through the 1920s. In 1928 the railroad relocated its locomotive shops to Hornell, New York
Hornell, New York
Hornell is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 9,019 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers. Its current population has not yet been released by the new census....
, and moved other shops out of Susquehanna in 1929, but retained a coach shop with reduced staffing through the 1950s. In 1952 Erie closed the roundhouse, as it converted its steam locomotive roster to diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. By the end of the decade, Erie had moved all of its remaining shop operations to Meadville
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
.
Erie merged into the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad (EL) in 1960, and the latter ended passenger train service in 1968. EL went bankrupt in 1972 and was absorbed into Conrail in 1976. Most of the railroad shop buildings were demolished in 1980-81.
With the demise of the local railroad industry, Susquehanna now has many small resident-owned businesses scattered along Main Street. Recent renovations to several Main Street buildings mark the first significant upturn in the local economy in several decades.
Geography
Susquehanna Depot is located at 41°56′41"N 75°36′14"W (41.944601, -75.604025).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 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
Census
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 1,690 people, 633 households, and 427 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 2,308.4 people per square mile (893.9/km²). There were 727 housing units at an average density of 993.0 per square mile (384.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.34% White, 0.12% African American, 0.95% Asian, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.
There were 633 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% 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, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the borough the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $27,328, and the median income for a family was $31,522. Males had a median income of $29,327 versus $18,173 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 $13,654. About 18.4% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.