Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania

Shamokin Dam is a small borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,502 at the 2000 census.

"Shamokin" /ʃəˈmoʊkᵻn/, or "Shahëmokink" in the Delaware language, and Schahamokink in another Algonquian language, means "place of eels." The borough name is also derived from a 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) dam that was built across the Susquehanna River in the 19th century. The dam supported steamboat ferries run by Ira T. Clement, which transported goods and people between Shamokin Dam and the city of Sunbury on the Northumberland County side of the river. These ferries operated from 1772 until the Bainbridge Street Bridge was built in 1907. The dam also provided water to the Susquehanna Division of the Pennsylvania Canal System which was constructed on the western bank of the river. The dam was destroyed by ice in March 1904. Shamokin Dam is distinct from the city of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, which is located to the east.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.66%) is water.