Nicholson Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Not to be confused with Nicholson Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania.

Nicholson Township
Township
Fields on Old Frame Road, the Deffenbaugh Site
Location of Nicholson Township in Fayette County
Location of Fayette County in Pennsylvania
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Fayette
Area
• Total	22.0 sq mi (57 km2)
• Land	21.9 sq mi (57 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,989
• Density	90/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	724

Nicholson Township is a township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,989 at the 2000 census. The Albert Gallatin Area School District serves the township.

New Geneva, Martin, Gallatin, Old Frame, Bowood, Woodside, and Grays Landing are villages in the township.

History

Nicholson Township was created in 1853 from portions of Springhill Township, German Township, and Georges Township also located within Fayette County. Southern Nicholson Township is the location of an archaeological site, the Deffenbaugh Site. Once occupied by a Monongahela village, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The village of New Geneva was laid out by Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury during the Jefferson Administration. The New Geneva Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 22.0 square miles (57.1 km²), of which, 21.9 square miles (56.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.68%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,989 people, 737 households, and 577 families residing in the township. The population density was 90.9 people per square mile (35.1/km²). There were 777 housing units at an average density of 35.5/sq mi (13.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.34% White, 0.40% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.

There were 737 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the township the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $29,279, and the median income for a family was $33,125. Males had a median income of $30,985 versus $23,403 for females. The per capita income for the township was $13,568. About 14.6% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Native and Residents

Isaac Griffin, a politician who represented Pennsylvania, in the United States House of Representatives made his home in Nicholson Township. He is buried within the boundaries of the Township, but the site of his grave is now unknown.