Jersey Shore is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is on the West Branch Susquehanna River, west by south of Williamsport. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the past, Jersey Shore held farms, railroad shops, cigar factories, a foundry, and a large silk mill. The population was 4,158 at the 2020 census.

History

thumb|250px|left|Jersey Shore in 1930

Jersey Shore was incorporated as a borough on March 15, 1826. The history of Jersey Shore begins about 50 years before it was incorporated and on the opposite bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River in what is now Nippenose Township. Colonel John Henry Antes arrived in 1772 and established a homestead along the banks of Antes Creek. Antes also built a gristmill and his fortified home, Fort Antes, provided a safe haven for the early settlers against raids conducted by Loyalist and Indian forces during the American Revolution. Settlers who had sought refuge at Fort Antes and had returned to the right bank of the West Branch to milk their cows were among the first killed when Fort Antes was attacked just prior to the Big Runaway. These pioneers on the north side of the river were counted among the Fair Play Men, a group of squatters who lived outside the jurisdiction of the colonial and revolutionary governments of Pennsylvania. Many of the settlers did not return to the area until after Sullivan's Expedition had forced the Lenape and other Indians allied with the British further west.

Jersey Shore was originally named Waynesburg by the two brothers, Reuben and Jeremiah Manning, who laid out the town circa 1785.

Jersey Shore's location on the West Branch Susquehanna River, just downstream from the mouth of Pine Creek made it an ideal location for traders and other businessmen who outfitted the pioneers who settled the westernmost portions of the West Branch Susquehanna River Valley and the Pine Creek valley. Thomas Martin was a farmer who sold his produce to the people of Jersey Shore and to the men and women who were just passing through. Mr. Martin was noted for his strong beliefs regarding the prices that he set. What had formerly been a minor stop on the West Branch Canal and stagecoach lines was transformed into an industrial boomtown. Over 1,000 skilled mechanics were employed at the car shops. They were able to earn wages that far exceeded the normal income of the average worker in Lycoming County at the time. When John A. Schultz died in 1943, the business was passed onto his sons Charles and John A. Jr. The brothers oversaw expansion and devastation. A massive fire nearly destroyed the steel mill in 1963, and the Agnes Flood of 1972 caused tremendous damage. The company, which is owned by a third generation of the Schultz family, operates two mills, the original mill in Jersey Shore and a second mill downstream in Montoursville. It is capable of producing 170,000 tons of rail steel annually.

Industry

In the past, Jersey Shore held farms, railroad shops, cigar factories, a foundry, and a large silk mill.

Woolrich, Inc. had a mill in Jersey Shore, in addition to ones in the neighbouring towns of Woolrich and Avis, which closed in 2008.

Geography

Jersey Shore is located at (41.202587, -77.266715). It is just east of the confluence of Pine Creek with the Susquehanna, surrounded to the north, west, and south by Porter Township and to the east (across the Susquehanna) by Nippenose Township. As the crow flies, Lycoming County is approximately northwest of Philadelphia and east-northeast of Pittsburgh.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Jersey Shore had a population of 4,166. The median age was 36.9 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.8 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

  • Gabrielle Chappel, winner Next Level Chef television show Season 3
  • Vinny Mauro, drummer for American Metalcore band Motionless in White (2014–present)

See also

  • History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
  • Jersey Shore Steel

References

  • Borough website
  • Official Lycoming County Map showing all townships, villages, boroughs, cities, county roads, rivers, creeks, and some streams