Pennsylvania
32 F°
  • Pressure: 1023 hPa
  • Humidity: 56 %
  • Clounds: 0%
  • clear sky
Loading forecast ...

Please tell us which country and city you'd like to see the weather in.

Lewistown, Pennsylvania
—  Borough  —
The post office in Lewistown
Lewistown, Pennsylvania is located in Pennsylvania
Lewistown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°35′51″N 77°34′24″W / 40.5975°N 77.57333°W / 40.5975; -77.57333Coordinates: 40°35′51″N 77°34′24″W / 40.5975°N 77.57333°W / 40.5975; -77.57333
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Mifflin
Settled 1790
Incorporated 1795
Government
 • Type Borough Council
 • Mayor Deborah Bargo
Area
 • Total 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2)
Elevation 520 ft (160 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 8,338
 • Density 4,138.7/sq mi (1,598.0/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code 17044
Area code(s) 717
Local phone exchanges 242, 247, 248, 363
School district Mifflin County School District

Lewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States.[1] It lies along the Juniata River, 61 miles (98 km) northwest of Harrisburg. The number of people living in the borough in 1900 was 4,451; in 1910, 8,166; in 1940, 13,017; and in 2000, 8,998. The population was 8,338 at the 2010 census. It is the principal borough of the Lewistown Micropolitan Statistical Area.[2] Of the four communities in the United States named "Lewistown", this borough is the largest.

Contents

History [link]

Early history [link]

The borough was incorporated in 1795 and was named for William "Bill" Lewis, a Quaker and a member of the legislature, who was responsible for the designation of the borough, which was then known as the Village of Ohesson, as the county seat of Mifflin County.

During the late 19th century Mifflin County became the crossroads of the Commonwealth. Located near the geographic center of the state, the area became a hub for traffic moving in every direction.

Early roads crisscrossed the region, but it was the eventual construction of the Pennsylvania Canal and the railroads that followed that truly positioned Mifflin County as an economic force in the state.

Lewistown, as the major city in Mifflin County, saw its economy expand dramatically as entrepreneurs launched companies to construct canal boats or build inns offering lodging for travelers and workers.

At its zenith, Mifflin County was one of the busiest centers for cargo and passenger traffic in the United States. But with the demise of the canal system, Mifflin County eventually lost its place as a major transportation hub.

American Civil War [link]

On April 16, 1861, Lewistown sent its Logan Guards, a militia group originally formed in 1858, to Washington, D.C. for its defense. They were one of only five companies, all recruited in Pennsylvania, to share the honor of being the first U.S. troops sent to the capital. Monument Square, situated at the intersection of Main and Market Streets in Lewistown, serves as a memorial to these men.

Tropical Storm Agnes [link]

Lewistown lost its role as a major transportation hub, but still boasted a strong industrial economy until the early 1970s when the county's industries began a slow decline. A ruinous natural event in June 1972 would cripple the local economy and Lewistown has never recovered.

One June 19, Agnes made initial landfall along the Florida Panhandle as a weak Category 1 Hurricane. Agnes then proceeded through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina before she moved back over the Atlantic off the North Carolina coast on June 21.

After regaining strength over the Atlantic, she made landfall again over southeastern New York on June 22 and moved westward in an arc over southern New York into north-central Pennsylvania. She became nearly stationary over Pennsylvania by morning of June 23, but was soon absorbed by a low-pressure system that slowly drifted northeastward from Pennsylvania into New York.

Rainfall from storm over the Mid-Atlantic region ranged from 2-3 inches in the extreme upper basins of the Potomac and North Branch Susquehanna Rivers to 18 inches (460 mm) near Shamokin, Pennsylvania, in the Main Stem Susquehanna River basin. An average of 6-10 inches of rain fell over the Mid-Atlantic region. The soil, already well watered by spring rains, could not absorb so much water so quickly.

While flooding from the Juniata River was somewhat controlled due to a dam at Raystown Lake, 44 miles (71 km) west of Lewistown, the county experienced extensive flooding from the river and major streams which resulted in the permanent closure of many businesses along the river. Most notably, the flood submerged much of the American Viscose Plant, then a division of FMC Corporation. The facility, located on the banks of the Juniata River across from Lewistown proper, manufactured rayon fiber (primarily for rayon-belted automobile tires), polyester and Avistrap.

FMC was one of two major employers in the area at the time, the other being the Standard Steel Works. The "Viscose" plant was only marginally profitable before the storm and the cost to reopen was prohibitive. (Ironically, the demand for rayon fabric for trendy clothing shot upward only a few years later.) Rayon production, and with it, thousands of good-paying jobs, moved to another FMC plant in Front Royal, Virginia. The Lewistown polyester plant reopened, but it rehired only a fraction of the previous workforce. The site eventually became the Mifflin County Industrial Plaza and a variety of businesses have come and gone since then.

Present day [link]

While Lewistown did receive the prestigious All-American City award in 1973 for its rebuilding process following the disaster, many of the blue collar workforce left the area to head south, along with the companies which chose not to rebuild in Lewistown.

Lewistown is home to the Pennsylvania State Fire School, which is the only such facility in the state. Firefighting in Lewistown is very important, as volunteer firefighters have strong allegiance to the multiple independent fire companies in the borough to which they devote their time.

Today, Lewistown is still looking to rebuild, but is now overshadowed by nearby State College. Due to the growth of Penn State and the construction of a new highway system, Lewistown is now struggling to avoid becoming the last rest stop for travelers coming from the east on their way to State College.

Geography [link]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), all of it land.

Water source [link]

The source of the borough's city water comes from the Laurel Creek Reservoir, which is located in Seven Mountains going towards State College.

Demographics [link]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 8,338 people, 3,742 households, and 2,030 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,138.7 people per square mile (1,598.0/km²). There were 4,345 housing units at an average density of 2,156.7 per square mile (832.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.2% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 3,742 households; out of which, 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.8% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21, and the average family size was 2.93.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $26,584, and the median income for a family was $38,356. The per capita income for the borough was $16,447. About 22.8% of families and 27.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people [link]

Historical buildings in the Lewistown Borough [link]

Sports [link]

Lewistown has a passion for sports. Though geographically closer to the Maryland city of Baltimore, the residents are almost equally divided in supporting the Pennsylvania professional sports teams from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. At the college level, with State College being located about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Lewistown, a good percentage of the town support the Penn State Nittany Lions. People of Lewistown also support youth sports. The area hosts a youth soccer tournament called Clash of the Cleats. The tournament attracts youth soccer clubs throughout Pennsylvania, and now is starting to attract teams from neighboring states. The Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion baseball teams grace the front pages of the local newspaper throughout the summer. And in the fall, the youth football programs spark rivalries between the smaller communities that surround Lewistown.

High school sports [link]

File:Iron Kettle 2005.jpg
The 2005 "Iron Kettle Game" between Lewistown (blue) and Indian Valley (white). Photo by Frank DiGiorgino

Mifflin County Huskies [link]

As of June 2011, the Mifflin County School District voted to merge its two high schools, Lewistown Area High School and neighboring Indian Valley High School (itself a merger of Chief Logan and Kishacoquillas high schools) to form Mifflin County High School due to increasing costs, declining enrollment, and lack of revenues from the state level. This is the second time the school district chose to create a single high school for the county. The first attempt at a combined high school only lasted for three years in the 1970s before district officials broke up the school due to public pressure. Mifflin County will compete at the PIAA District 6, Class AAAA level but compete in the Mid-Penn Conference due to a lack of AAAA schools in District 6. The newly created school will bear the nickname of "Huskies" and sport purple, silver and black as its colors.

Lewistown Panthers [link]

From September 1976 to June 2011, Lewistown Area High School, nicknamed the Panthers, competed in PIAA District 6, at the Class AAA level. The Panthers won PIAA Championships in Baseball in 2002 and Girls’ Basketball in 1997 and 1998. In fact, in 1997 Lewistown Area High joined a very small list of Pennsylvania schools to have both their Girls’ and Boys’ basketball teams reach the state championship game in the same season. The Lady Panther basketball was consistently ranked among the Top 10 teams in the state. Lewistown had an excellent wrestling program, with the 2006 squad finishing 8th in the state.

In the 2007 baseball season, the Panthers finished the regular season with a 9-9 record. The Panthers went on to win 3 straight district playoff games to earn the 2007 district championship while defeating cross town rival Indian Valley in the process. The team went on to lose in the state quarterfinals to eventual AAA State Champion Punxsutawny.

Old Iron Kettle [link]

The "Old Iron Kettle" is a black Kettle trophy that was awarded to the winner of the annual football game between Lewistown and its rival school Indian Valley. Played for the final time on October 22, 2010, the game was won by Indian Valley for the fifth consecutive year. The schools subsequently merged to become the Mifflin County High School Huskies.

Other sports [link]

Auto racing, including NASCAR and sprint car racing along with wrestling are popular as well as outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing.

Transportation [link]

Media [link]

Newspapers [link]

Television stations [link]

  • WHTM 27 Harrisburg (ABC)
  • WPMT 43 York (FOX)
  • WHP 21 Harrisburg (CBS)
  • WGAL 8 Lancaster (NBC)
  • WLYH 15 Lancaster (CW)
  • WTAJ 10 Altoona (CBS)
  • WHVL 29 State College (MyTV)

Radio stations [link]

FM stations
Call letters Frequency Format Location Owner
WRYV 88.7 Christian Contemporary Milroy Invisible Allies
WTLR 89.9 Religious State College Central Pennsylvania Christian Institute
WJRC 90.9 Christian Contemporary Lewistown Salt and Light Media Ministries, Inc.
WJUN 92.5 Country Mexico Starview Media, Inc.
WBUS 93.7 Classic Rock Boalsburg Forever Broadcasting
WQKX 94.1 CHR Sunbury Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation
WMRF 95.7 Hot AC Lewistown First Media Radio
WVNW 96.7 Country Burnham WVNW, Inc.
WFGY 98.1 Country Altoona Forever Broadcasting
WMAJ 99.5 Classic Hits Centre Hall Megahertz Licenses, LLC
WFGE 101.1 Country Tyrone Forever Broadcasting
WCHX 105.5 Classic Rock Burnham Mifflin County Communications, Inc.
WQCK 105.9 Rock State College Magnum Broadcasting
WHUN 106.3 Oldies Mount Union Forever Broadcasting
WQJU 107.1 Religious Mifflintown Central Pennsylvania Christian Institute
AM stations
Call letters Frequency Format Location Owner
WIEZ 670 News/Talk Lewistown First Media Radio
WKVA 920 Oldies Burnham WVNW, Inc.
WHUN 1150 News/Talk Huntingdon Megahertz Licenses, LLC
WJUN 1220 Sports Mexico Starview Media, Inc.

Education [link]

The Borough of Lewistown is served by the Mifflin County School District. It is also home to the only local Catholic Elementary school, Sacred Heart of Jesus [2], which educates children of any religion in grades K-5.

Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technology Center [3] located in Lewistown provides post high school degrees in nursing, auto mechanics, electrical services, and numerous other technology driven careers. As of February 2006, there are plans to build a high School that would serve the area. In the 2011-2012 school year, Lewistown High School is supposed to combine with its rival school Indian Valley.

The Lewistown branch of the South Hills School of Business and Technology [4] offers associates degrees and other certifications in various areas of business and technology.

The Lewistown Hospital offers a School of Nursing [5].

The Penn State Learning Center [6] in Lewistown offers credit and non-credit courses through Continuing Education and personal enrichment classes through Cooperative Extension. For the fall semester of 2009, the Learning Center opened a health and science lab. This lab was developed out of a partnership between Penn State, Lewistown Hospital, and the Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technical Center.

References [link]

External links [link]


https://wn.com/Lewistown,_Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania i/ˌpɛnslˈvnjə/ (Pennsylvania German: Pennsilfaani), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle. The state borders Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to the northwest, New York to the north, and New Jersey to the east.

Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 6th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's five most populous cities are Philadelphia (1,560,297), Pittsburgh (305,801), Allentown (118,577), Erie (100,671), and Reading (89,893). The state capital is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 51 miles (82 km) of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km) of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary.

The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States; it was originally founded in 1681 as a result of a royal land grant to William Penn, the son of the state's namesake. It was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12, 1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the state's largest city of Philadelphia. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in the south central region of the state.

Pennsylvania (album)

Pennsylvania is Pere Ubu's eleventh studio album. The album marks Tom Herman's return to Pere Ubu's studio work after a twenty-year absence.

Director's Cut

In 2005, to celebrate Pere Ubu's 30th Anniversary, a "Director's Cut" was released which featured new mastering, alternate mixes, and two bonus tracks. David Thomas explains: "The point of doing a Director's Cut is to benefit from that older and wiser thing. I reviewed all alternate mixes from the session, sometimes discovering that an earlier mix turned out to be superior to the chosen mix. As well, 10 years later, we have access to improved mastering technology. Consequently, there is a greater clarity and cohesion to the Director's Cut. We are not going to make both versions available. The Director's Cut is the way it's supposed to be. Period."

Track listing

  • Woolie Bullie* – 3:41
  • Highwaterville – 1:36
  • SAD.TXT – 3:26
  • Urban Lifestyle* – 2:55
  • Silent Spring – 4:15
  • Mr Wheeler – 4:14 (3:35 on the Director's Cut)
  • Muddy Waters – 3:49 (3:26 on the Director's Cut)
  • Pennsylvania (song)

    "Pennsylvania" is the official state song of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The song was written and composed by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner and serves as the official song for all public purposes. State Representative Frank L. Oliver introduced the bill for the song, and it was adopted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Robert P. Casey on November 29, 1990.

    Lyrics

    Chorus

    Chorus

    External links

  • Pennsylvania state symbols, from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
  • Lyrics, sheet music, and MIDI, on 50states.com
  • Performance on YouTube
  • Radio Stations - Pennsylvania

    RADIO STATION
    GENRE
    LOCATION
    WATR-AM 1320 Waterbury, CT Oldies USA
    FSN Feature Story News World News News,News Updates USA
    High Plains Public Radio Classical,Public USA
    KBYU-FM 89.1 (Great Music ... Sound Ideas) Provo, UT Classical,Public,College USA
    Western Intertie Network (WIN System) Talk USA
    WPDH-FM 101.5 (Home Of Rock N Roll) Poughkeepsie, NY Classic Rock USA
    WQQB-FM 96.1 Rantoul, IL Top 40 USA
    AccuRadio: Power Ballads Adult Contemporary,Classic Rock USA
    KKLA-FM 99.5 Los Angeles, CA Christian,Talk USA
    KTAR-FM 92.3 Phoenix, AZ News Talk,Talk,Discussion USA
    WBPT-FM 106.9 (The Eagle) Birmingham, AL Classic Rock USA
    KFMJ-FM 99.9 Ketchikan, AK Oldies,Classic Rock USA
    WXL61-SW 162.475 (NOAA Weather) Cedar Rapids, IA News Updates,Short Wave Radio USA
    WDQX-FM 102.3 (Max FM) Morton, IL Classic Rock USA
    BoomerRadio: Sweet Soul Music Oldies,Pop USA
    WOLX-FM 94.9 Baraboo, WI Oldies USA
    WICR-FM 88.7 (Univ of Indianapolis) Indianapolis, IN College USA
    IRSO-FL Roots of Soul R&B USA
    WJTW-LP 100.3 Jupiter, FL Oldies,Public USA
    WVHF-AM 1140 (Holy Family Radio) Kentwood, MI Religious USA
    WONE-FM 97.5 Akron, OH Rock,Classic Rock USA
    WGLE-FM 90.7 (WGTE) Lima, OH News USA
    Today's Christian Music Christian Contemporary,Religious,Christian USA
    Shepherd's Chapel Religious,Christian USA
    KRLD-AM 1080 (NewsRadio 1080) Dallas, TX News Talk,News,Talk USA
    KDIX-IR 1230 (Herb 1 Radio) Dickinson, ND Jazz,Talk,Reggae USA
    Mistletoe @ iradiophilly.com Christian USA
    ORS - Christmas Music For Kids Christian,Kids USA
    WBOG-AM 1460 (Kool Gold) Tomah, WI Oldies USA
    KELS-LP 104.7 FM (Pirate Radio) Greeley, CO Oldies,60s USA
    Smooth Beats, Hip Hop Hip Hop USA
    WPSO-AM 1500 (Greek Voice Radio) New Port Richey, FL Greek USA
    KCMQ-FM 96.7 (Real Classic Rock) Columbia, MO Classic Rock USA
    NuBreaks Radio Dance,Electronica,Jungle USA
    KCME-FM 88.7 Manitou Springs, CO Classical,Public USA
    South Carolina ETV Radio, Classical Varied,Classical,Public USA
    WBJC-FM 91.5 Baltimore, MD Classical,Public,College USA
    WNWC-FM 102.5 (Life 102.5) Madison, WI Christian Contemporary,Gospel,Christian USA
    KLFE-AM 1590 (Freedom 1590) Seattle, WA Talk USA
    K-Lite Online Soft Rock USA
    WFCJ-FM 93.7 (Inspiration) Dayton, OH Religious USA
    Scanner: Denver Police Talk USA
    WRSU-FM 88.7 (Rutgers Univ) New Brunswick, NJ College USA
    SomaFM: Tag's Trip Electronica USA
    WEKZ-FM 93.7 (Big Oldies) Monroe, WI Oldies USA
    WZAB-AM 880 (The Biz) Sweetwater, FL Talk,Discussion USA
    KBGL-FM 106.9 (Hits 106.9) Larned, KS Contemporary USA
    WARL-AM 1320 Attleboro, MA Talk USA
    KIH35-SW 162.550 (NOAA Weather) Pittsburgh, PA News Updates,Short Wave Radio USA
    WRUR-FM 88.5 (WXXI Public Broadcasting) Rochester, NY College USA
    WDEF-FM 92.3 (Sunny 92.3) Chatanooga, TN Contemporary USA

    SEARCH FOR RADIOS

    Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:
    ×