Linesville, Pennsylvania

Linesville, Pennsylvania
Borough
West Erie Street (US 6) in downtown Linesville
Nickname:  Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish
Location of Linesville in Crawford County, Pennsylvania.
Linesville Location of Linesville in Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 41°39′23″N 80°25′28″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Crawford
Founded	1824
Government
• Mayor	Christopher Seeley (D)
Area [1]
• Total	0.77 sq mi (2.01 km^2)
• Land	0.77 sq mi (2.01 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation [2] (middle of borough)	1,050 ft (320 m)
Highest elevation [2] (northeast corner of borough)	1,117 ft (340 m)
Lowest elevation [2] (Pymatuning Lake)	1,008 ft (307 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	961
• Estimate  (2022)[4]	947
• Density	1,242.89/sq mi (479.72/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-4 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (EDT)
ZIP code	16424[5]
Area code	814

Linesville is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 961 at the 2020 census,^[4] down from 987 at the 2019 census.^[6] The town derives its name from its founders, who included William Line (the grandson of a Swiss immigrant), who migrated from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, circa the early 1820s,^[7] and his relative, Amos Line, who was the town's surveyor and main proprietor.^[8][9] Amos Line "penetrated the western Pennsylvania wilderness as a member of the Pennsylvania Population Company in the early 1800s."^[10]

History

Presbyterian Church on an old postcard

According to the town's history, Linesville was settled by Amos Line,^[11] who was born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. "Line established a mill at the site in 1820. The village was laid out in 1825. It was first known as Line's Mills, but the name was changed to Linesville Station in 1864. It was not known as Linesville until 1883. It was incorporated from Pine Township on March 22, 1862.^[12]

Geography

Linesville is located in western Crawford County at 41°39′23″N 80°25′28″W (41.656489, -80.424430).^[13] It is surrounded by Pine Township, a separate municipality.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.77 square miles (2.0 km²), all land.^[14] The borough is located just north of the northeast end of Pymatuning Reservoir.

U.S. Route 6 passes through the center of Linesville, leading east 17 miles (27 km) to Meadville, the Crawford County seat, and northwest then south 16 miles (26 km) to Andover, Ohio. South Mercer Street provides a shorter route to Andover (10 miles (16 km)), leading south across the Linesville Spillway of Pymatuning Lake to Pennsylvania Route 285.

Climate

Climate data for Linesville, Pennsylvania (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	67 (19)	73 (23)	82 (28)	87 (31)	92 (33)	98 (37)	101 (38)	99 (37)	99 (37)	86 (30)	79 (26)	69 (21)	101 (38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	31.9 (−0.1)	34.4 (1.3)	43.1 (6.2)	56.8 (13.8)	68.2 (20.1)	76.7 (24.8)	80.5 (26.9)	79.1 (26.2)	73.0 (22.8)	60.4 (15.8)	47.8 (8.8)	37.0 (2.8)	57.4 (14.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	24.4 (−4.2)	25.6 (−3.6)	34.0 (1.1)	46.4 (8.0)	57.7 (14.3)	66.7 (19.3)	70.7 (21.5)	69.2 (20.7)	62.8 (17.1)	51.2 (10.7)	40.2 (4.6)	30.6 (−0.8)	48.3 (9.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	17.0 (−8.3)	16.8 (−8.4)	25.0 (−3.9)	36.0 (2.2)	47.3 (8.5)	56.7 (13.7)	60.8 (16.0)	59.3 (15.2)	52.6 (11.4)	41.9 (5.5)	32.5 (0.3)	24.2 (−4.3)	39.2 (4.0)
Record low °F (°C)	−28 (−33)	−27 (−33)	−21 (−29)	8 (−13)	16 (−9)	26 (−3)	34 (1)	31 (−1)	21 (−6)	16 (−9)	5 (−15)	−21 (−29)	−28 (−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.91 (74)	2.02 (51)	2.67 (68)	3.62 (92)	3.82 (97)	4.74 (120)	4.45 (113)	3.62 (92)	4.10 (104)	3.73 (95)	3.18 (81)	3.17 (81)	42.03 (1,068)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	20.2 (51)	11.6 (29)	8.9 (23)	2.0 (5.1)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	3.9 (9.9)	17.4 (44)	64.0 (163)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	17.8	14.1	13.6	13.9	13.5	13.5	12.2	11.3	11.2	14.5	14.2	16.8	166.6
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	8.9	6.4	3.9	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.1	6.8	29.1
Source: NOAA[15][16]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	434		—
1880	550		26.7%
1890	552		0.4%
1900	661		19.7%
1910	833		26.0%
1920	1,015		21.8%
1930	963		−5.1%
1940	1,150		19.4%
1950	1,246		8.3%
1960	1,255		0.7%
1970	1,265		0.8%
1980	1,198		−5.3%
1990	1,166		−2.7%
2000	1,155		−0.9%
2010	1,040		−10.0%
2020	961		−7.6%
2022 (est.)	947	[4]	−1.5%
Sources:[17][18][19][20][3]

As of the census^[18] of 2000, there were 1,155 people, 470 households, and 306 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,510.4 inhabitants per square mile (583.2/km²). There were 501 housing units at an average density of 655.2 per square mile (253.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.23% White, 0.69% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.26% Asian, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 470 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% 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 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $34,038. Males had a median income of $31,296 versus $21,719 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,534. About 9.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Linesville is within the Conneaut School District and is home to the district's administration offices, along with the Conneaut Area Senior High School and the Alice Shafer Annex.

Points of interest

There are several points of interest throughout the town, chiefly Pymatuning Lake and the Linesville Spillway. In warm weather, the spillway on the sanctuary (eastern) side is home to thousands of oversized carp, attracted by the bread thrown into the water by visitors; this is known as "The Place Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish", coined by local businessman Alpine Maclaine. The spillway is locally billed as "Pennsylvania's second most popular tourist attraction, after the Liberty Bell", and the logo of the Linesville Volunteer Fire Department used to be a duck standing on the back of a fish.^{[citation needed]}

Pymatuning Lake is one of the largest man-made lakes in Pennsylvania. It was created in the 1930s as a Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project. Linesville is also home to the University of Pittsburgh's Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology.

Linesville is the birthplace of noteworthy traveler Winfield Line (Amos Line's great-great-grandson) who, in 1922-23 with his brother Francis, hiked/hitchhiked through every state in the Union. This pair of brothers later wrote a book entitled Foot by Foot Through the USA, A High Adventure Odyssey to Every State in the Union, which chronicled their journey.^[10]

Another minor point of interest is at the main intersection of the town (at its sole traffic light). On the Maclaine Building at the northwest corner is a sign reading "CHICAGO: 500 miles NEW YORK: 500 miles" (the true midpoint between the two is actually about a mile west).^[21]

At one time, Linesville was the onion capital of the United States, distributing its fragrant produce via the Erie & Pittsburgh Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.^[10]

Linesville made national news in November 2005 when 18-year-old Christopher Seeley was elected mayor, one of the youngest mayors to serve in a U.S. city to date.

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
2. "Linesville Creek Topo Map, Crawford County PA (Linesville Area)". TopoZone. Locality, LLC. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
3. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Oct 12, 2022.
4. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
5. "Linesville PA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
6. "Census Geography Profile". Census.org. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
7. Warner Beers and Company (Ed.) (1886). History of Cumberland and Adams counties, Pennsylvania. Chicago: Warner Beers & Company. Page 462
8. "Linesville, Pennsylvania Borough Information". US-PA: ePodunk. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
9. "Linesville History". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. 2002-09-01. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
11. "Biofiles.us". Pa-files.biofiles.us. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
12. "Linesville". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. 2012-12-04. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
13. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
14. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Linesville borough, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
15. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
16. "Station: Linesville 1 S, PA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
17. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
18. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
19. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
20. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. US Census Bureau. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
21. DeLeon, Clark (2004). Pennsylvania Curiosities. Globe Pequot. p. 229. ISBN 0-7627-3039-0.

External links

• Media related to Linesville, Pennsylvania at Wikimedia Commons