MINERSVILLE AREA HISTORY, CENSUS, ETC,..

2. In the year 1783, a settler by the name of Thomas Reed traveled through the valley
between the Thomaston Mountains and the Gap Rocks. At this junction,
several mountain streams converged where this settler built a log cabin and a
sawmill on the west Branch of the Schuylkill River, just below the mouth of
Wolf Creek. Shortly thereafter, he built a tavern on the South Side of the
Sunbury Trail on the present site of the Saint Vincent DePaul's Church.
This tavern was referred to as the "Half Way House", because it was half-way
between Reading and Sunbury. The Sunbury Trail was the first road through
Schuylkill County and was known as the Kings Highway which was authorized
by the Crown of England, King George III in 1770.The early settlers engaged in
timbering as their first livelihood, but experienced difficulty in transporting
the heavy logs out of the valley. The rough timber was floated by raft to
Schuylkill Haven to the Schuylkill Canal and on to Reading where it was sold or
traded for other products. Necho Allen discovered coal in 1799, but it was not
until 1814 that any actual mining took place. Dr. McFarland, a scientist, opened
a vein at York Farm near Pottsville. Later, in 1818, Jacob Reed, son the of
original founder, opened another vein in the Minersville Area.
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3. 
The completion of the Schuylkill Haven and Mine Hill Railroad provided the means to transport the
coal produced in the region. The development of the coal industry grew rapidly and attracted many
immigrants. Experienced English and Welsh miners arrived first from their home lands. Next arrivals
were the Germans and Irishman, soon to be followed by many other ethnic groups that make up the
community. The influx of inhabitants to the community promoted the need to begin municipal
planning. Titus Bennett laid out the town in 1830 on parts of two tracts of land patented to Lawrence
Lewis and Robert M. Lewis on July 20, 1829, at that time part of Branch Township. On May 2, 1830,
Minersville citizens held an election at the home of David Buckwater for the purpose of electing a
Burgess. Samuel Richert was elected to this position, as well as the following men who served on the
first Council: John Provst, John Patrick, Dr. Anthony Steinberger, John L. Swaine, John B. Hahn,
David Buckwater and Daniel R. Bennet. The first president of the Town Council was Daniel R.
Bennet; first treasurer, Thomas J. Harman, Clerk, and Milligan G. Gable, High Constable. Minersville
was incorporated as a borough on April 1, 1831 by Act of the legislature approved by Governor George
Wolf. Minersville School District was involved in a nation court case gaining much attention;
Minersville School District v. Gobitis, 1940. This case dealt with a family whose children would not
salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance because of their religious beliefs (they were Jehovah's
Witnesses). This case would put Minersville "on the map," as it reached all the way to the Supreme
Court. The final verdict was that the school district could, in fact, make students stand, salute, and
recite the Pledge of Allegiance. This decision came under much scrutiny and would not stay long, as it
would be overturned shortly thereafter.

4. 
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,552 people, 2,041 households, and 1,226 families
residing in the borough. The population density was 6,948.9 people per square mile
(2,662.9/km²). There were 2,312 housing units at an average density of 3,529.4 per square
mile (1,352.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.51% White, 0.44% African
American, 0.07% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from
other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57%
of the population.
There were 2,041 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living
with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder
with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were
made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86.
 In the borough the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from
18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or
older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males. The Borough was founded in 1831.
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The median income for a household in the borough was $28,373, and the median income
for a family was $36,759. Males had a median income of $32,073 versus $19,898 for
females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,623. About 10.8% of families and
15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age
18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.

5.  Minersville celebrated its 182nd anniversary in 2006.
 Minersville was the birthplace of pool champion Joe Balsis (1921–
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1995).
American Civil War Union general Benjamin C. Christ was a
native of Minersville.
Big Diamond Raceway is located in Minersville. It is home to
seasonal weekly dirt track racing.
The Pottsville Maroons played professional football at
Minersville Park during the 1920s.
Minersville is the setting of the 2010 film Bereavement.
The Minersville Railroad will soon open again, after work is
completed on the CNJ 113 train engine, and renovations are
completed in the station. The train has recently been driven for
the first time in years and is in a completion process.

7.  Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church
 Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church
 Saint George's Ukrainian Catholic Church
 Saint Peter and Paul Ukrainian Byzantine Rite
 Saint Michael The Archangel Roman Catholic Church
 Saint Matthew’s Roman Catholic Church

8.  Saint Stanislaus in no longer today. It is now the Saint Matthew’s Roman
Catholic Church. This church is a very old church. It has a lot of history inside!

9. Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church is a big church home of
Ukrainian Catholic’s. Saint Nicholas is the only church with a school in
Minersville.

10.  Saint George’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church is right across from Saint Nicholas’.
The only difference is that Saint George’s is Ukrainian Orthodox.

11. 
S.S. Peter and Paul Originally a part of St. George Byzantine Catholic Church which was
founded in 1896 and served both Ruthenian and Ukrainian Catholics of Byzantine
Rite, SS. Peter & Paul Church was organized and incorporated in 1910 to originally serve
the spiritual needs of Byzantine Ruthenian Catholics.

12. Saint Michael The Archangel is a Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the 2
Roman Catholic Churches in Minersville.

13. Saint Matthew’s is the replacement for the Saint Stanislaus Church. This
church is very big in size and has a lot of history.

15.  The Minersville Train Station is a very historic building in
the Minersville Borough. It had many trains stop here in
the past years.

16.  The CNJ 113 is a very well known piece of history in
Minersville. This locomotive has traveled many places over
the 20th Century. It is now in the process of being fully
restored to be get back on the rails as soon as possible.

17. The Washington Hotel is a historic hotel that has been in
Minersville for many decades. It is no longer used as a hotel.
They now only use the bar inside the hotel.

18.  Some of the best features are the historic sites and the
history behind Minersville.
 Places people like to meet at are the
libraries, pool, Coalcracker Creamery, and the sports
complexes.
 Challenges that Minersville face are drugs and
littering.

19. Places people like to
meet at are the
libraries, pool, Coalcra
cker Creamery, and
the sports complexes.
Some of the best features
are the historic sites and
the history behind
Minersville.
Challenges that
Minersville face
are drugs and
littering.

21.  The Minersville Library is a place people like to meet
when doing school projects or are just going to rent a
few books and read them.

22.  The Minersville Pool is one of the main hangouts in the
summer where people like to meet and take a dip in the
pool to cool off.

23.  The Minersville Sport Complexes are a hangout when
sports are playing. You can sit and watch the game, walk
around, and many other fun activities.

24.  The Coalcracker Creamery is a big place to meet at in the
summer. When it’s hot outside, you can come in and have a
refreshing Ice Cream.

25. Drugs
Litter
Litter
Drugs