Pottsville, Pennsylvania
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Pottsville is the largest city and county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. It is in Southeastern Pennsylvania in what is known as the Coal Region.
History
Pottsville is named for its founder, John Pott, who laid it out in 1816.The site of Pottsville was originally in Chester County. Subsequently Pottsville became part of Lancaster County, then Berks County,and ultimately in 1811 Schuylkill County. The borough of Pottsville became Schuylkill County's seat in 1851. Pottsville became a third-class city in 1911.
The discovery of anthracite
Pottsville's anthracite coal history began in 1790 when it was discovered by hunter Necho Allen. Legend has it that Allen fell asleep at the base of the Broad Mountain, on the south side of Pottsville, and woke to the sight of a large fire; his campfire had ignited an outcropping of coal. By 1795 an anthracite-fired iron furnace was established on the Schuylkill River. In 1806 John Pott purchased the furnace and then founded the City of Pottsville.The Pottsville Maroons
Pottsville was host to a National Football League franchise from 1925-1928. Playing in Sportsman's Park in nearby Minersville, the Pottsville Maroons posted some of the best records in the NFL in 1925 and 1926.The Maroons had a claim to the 1925 NFL championship, but due to a controversial decision by NFL President Joe Carr, the title was instead awarded to the Chicago Cardinals.
The Maroons suffered two more losing seasons before relocating to Boston and becoming the Bulldogs. The Boston Bulldogs became defunt after a few years and re-emerged in Washington as the Redskins and has stayed that way since.
Geography
Pottsville is located at (40.685058, -76.202747)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.9 km² (4.2 mi²). It is all land; none of the area is covered in water.
Garfield Square
Old timers fondly recall Pottsville's Market Street trolley line, where trolleys slipped around Garfield Square.South Center and Mahantongo streets
On South Center Street and Mahantongo Street, in front of the old Necho Allen Hotel, public bathrooms are buried under the street. The public bathrooms were closed in the 1960s, and remain covered up by what used to be Pomeroy's Department Store.The start of the Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River starts in the vicinity of Pottsville, with the source of its eastern branch tributary starting at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua ,and the western tributary/ branch starting near Minersville and Tremont joining in Pottsville, becoming one stream south, at the town of Schuylkill Haven.Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 15,549 people, 6,399 households, and 3,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,426.0/km² (3,697.4/mi²). There were 7,343 housing units at an average density of 673.4/km² (1,746.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.73% White, 2.26% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population.There are 6,399 households, out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,137, and the median income for a family was $41,124. Males had a median income of $31,510 versus $21,433 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,165. About 10.1% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Population Trends
- 1940 - 24,530
- 1950 - 23,630
- 1960 - 21,659
- 1970 - 19,715
- 1980 - 18,195
- 1990 - 16,603
- 2000 - 15,549
- 2002 - 15,167 (estimate)
Industry
Pottsville, in the Coal Region of eastern Pennsylvania, has been long associated with the anthracite coal industry.The Reading Anthracite Coal Company
The most notable of the coal companies operating out of Pottsville is the Reading Anthracite Company, which traces its roots in the area back to 1871.Yuengling
D.G. Yuengling & Son, is the oldest operated family brewer of beer in the United States, having been established in 1829, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania on Mahantongo street.During the Prohibition period in America, under the 18th Amendment, Yuengling stopped making beer and moved to production of "near-beers". The three brews produced in this time were the Yuengling Special (The most popular brand), Yuengling Por-Tor (a version of their "celebrated Pottsville Porter"), and finally, the Yuengling Juvo, which was a cereal beverage. Then-owner Frank Yuengling also opened the Yuengling Dairy, which produced ice cream and other dairy products for the local area. These ventures helped to keep the company afloat during that period.
When the 18th Amendment was repealed, Yuengling stopped production of "near-beer" and resumed making alcoholic beverages. The brewery famously sent a truckload of it's Winner Beer to the White House in 1933 as thanks to President Franklin Roosevelt for the repeal of Prohibition.
Yuengling still continues its family-owned business today. (The Yuengling Dairy was operated by a different branch of the family than the Brewery. Business declined and the dairy folded as of 1985.) Attempted buyouts by large conglomerate breweries have all been unsuccessful.
Phillips Van Heusen
Because of its location on the Schuylkill River, Pottsville developed a textile industry. Out of this industry grew the Phillips Van Heusen company which was founded in Pottsville in 1881. Moses Phillips and his wife Endel began sewing shirts by hand and selling them from pushcarts to the local coal miners. Van Heusen and other textile companies left the region starting in the late 1970s, mainly due to foreign competition.Growth of High Technology Firms
In recent years the city has been working hard to attract technology based companies due to the historic decline of the coal mining industry. Firms such as [Extol] and [Yooter InterActive] have started in (Extol) or moved to (Yooter) the city of Pottsville. Though the city values it's traditional industrial base, however the growth of the high technology sector shows the ablity of the city to diversify. The city has even started a High Technology incubator as method to attract these types of firms.Notable natives and residents
John O'Hara
- John O'Hara, a short story writer and best-selling novelist, brought Pottsville into the national spotlight through his "Gibbsville" stories, accounts of 1920s Pottsville socialites. O'Hara's single family home is located at 606 Mahantongo Street, Pottsville.
Molly Maguires
- The Molly Maguires were a clandestine society of Irish miners who engaged in a violent confrontation with Pennsylvania mining companies in the 19th century.
Media
The local daily newspaper in Pottsville is the [Pottsville Republican]. Another publication that surfaced in 2003 is the [Pottsville Free Press]. There are also two radio stations that broadcast from Pottsville.Colleges and universities
- Schuylkill Institute of Business and Technology
- Penn State Schuylkill
- McCann School of Business and Technology
See also
- Bootleg mining
- Necho Allen
External links
- [City of Pottsville official website]
- [Pottsville's Technology Incubator]
- [Pottsville's community website]
- [Visitor information]
- [The Reading Anthracite Historical Library]
- [Old pictures of Pottsville and vicinity]
- [Volunteer fire companies]
- [History of the Henry Clay monument]
- [An Anthracite Coal Mining Community]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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