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Northern Tier Coalition of Townships
Susquehanna County, PA
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Coalition
Members
Apolacon Twp..
Bridgewater Twp.
Choconut Twp.
Forest Lake Twp.
Franklin Twp.
Jessup Twp.
Liberty Twp.
Middletown Twp.
Rush Twp.
Silver Lake Twp
Friendsville
Little Meadows
Montrose
MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP
Middletown is perhaps one of the most rural of the townships of the Northern Tier Coalition. Located between Apolacon and Rush townships, Middletown is densely forested and sparsely populated. The north branch of the Wyalusing Creek runs the entirety of the township and is the major landmark in the region and with its tributaries is a prime trout fishery.
Early History Middletown is so named because it was the middle township of the three that the original settlement of Rush was divided into in 1813. It was first settled in 1799 by Riel Brister and Benjamin Abbott, and by 1800, several families had settled in the area, amounting to a population of 45. Originally, the settlement of Middletown was almost completely made up of New Englanders, and the predominant religion was Methodist. In the late 1820’s and early 1830’s, more foreigners began moving to the area, especially Welsh and Irish immigrants. A Welsh settlement was established around 1825, some of which spilled over into Bradford County, and in 1831, the first Welsh church and a schoolhouse were established.
Recent Development According to the 2000 census, Middletown Township is home to 340 residents. The population is stable with virtually no increase between 1990 and 2000. The demographic make up of the community is aging, but not nearly as quickly as some other NTC townships. Middletown has seen some new development between 1990 and 2000 – the township grew about fourteen percent in the decade. Middletown saw only three new subdivisions between 1998 and 2000. The make up of the occupancy of the township is predominantly rural. Middletown has the highest seasonal occupancy rate of the NTC communities – with 43% of its units used for seasonal use.
Conservation Issues and Opportunities A disused landfill sits high atop a hill in the southwest corner of the Township of Middletown. The 14-acre landfill opened in 1976 and closed in 1983. The site is approximately 14 acres and was originally permitted to allow a depth of eight feet for waste fill and one foot of soil for every foot of garbage. The site has no protective liner and during its days of operation accepted at least 115 shipments of hazardous waste according to hazardous waste manifests filed with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The landfill was never properly capped and no effort was taken to mitigate the possibility of hazardous wastes leaching into the soil or groundwater. As a result a group of concerned local residents began to investigate the disposition of the site and its effect on the surrounding land. State conducted tests of groundwater wells in the area show the presence, although at a regulatory-acceptable level, of many potential toxic pollutants including mercury, arsenic, benzene and bacteria. Residents are skeptical of the results because the state is only testing a small number of wells of the 50 in the immediate area. Similarly variations in rainfall and thus hydrology in the groundwater system are not taken into account and result in uneven tests. Issues of landfill siting, as it relates to NTC communities as a whole, is addressed in the following section of this report. Quarries have also been a concern to local residents. For example, one quarry, pointed to by some residents is clearly having an effect on water and visual quality along the Wyalusing Creek corridor, which is itself one of the prime conservation opportunities in the area. The creek and several of its tributaries are prime trout fisheries. In addition, a fine example of stream restoration exists near the Rush Township boundary. Conserving large tracts of land with forest and open areas and fast running shady brooks will maintain much of the rural character of this township.
JESSUP TOWNSHIP
Jessup Township lies to the south of the NTC communities – bordered by Bridgewater Township on the east and Rush Township on the west. Jessup’s is a forested landscape, with excellent trout fishing along the Wyalusing creek. The topography of the area is considerably lower then other townships in the NTC and is more prone to flooding, especially along the East Branch of the Wyalusing Creek. The township also has a number of quarries and a few farms in the lower lying areas.
Early History Jessup Township was founded in April, 1846. The township lands were carved from parts of Bridgewater and Rush townships, and a small part from Middletown. The area that is now Jessup was once first known as the “Delaware First Purchase” as the land was not in the original Connecticut settlements (as is most of the townships in Susquehanna County). The first settlers came mainly from New York and settled near Bolles’ Flat. The riparian nature of the township led to the development of a number of grist mills, and the prime agricultural bottom lands led to a strong agricultural settlement. The first post office was established in 1829 at Fairdale and in 1837 the Rush Baptist church was organized.
Recent Development Today, Jessup is proportionally one of the faster growing communities in the NTC – with 78 new residents in the decade of the 1990s and a growth rate of 16%. According to the 2000 census, Jessup supports a small but growing population of 564. The demographic make up of the community is also different from the remainder of the NTC – Jessup is the only community seeing a substantial increase in the 20-44 year old age group and the 65 and older population is actually shrinking. Jessup is also developing at a faster pace then other NTC communities. Between 1990 and 2000 14 new housing units were constructed, a change of only 6 percent. Jessup only saw 8 new subdivisions between 1998 and 2000; however, 5 of them occurred in 2000 showing recent development interest in the township.
Conservation Issues Many of the conservation issues raised by residents and the township supervisors are issues shared by other NTC communities, such as loss of rural quality of life and land fill development. The supervisors were especially interested in flood zone demarcation and construction. Jessup has the other Heron rookery in the Coalition area, and again this would be an important focus of conservation efforts. Also close to the Bridgewater boundary is a covered bridge spanning the East Wyalusing, serving with Fairdale and Snowville as potential points along a heritage corridor running west from Montrose through Rush along the East Wyalusing. East Wyalusing and a number of its tributaries are also prime trout waters and favorites among the community. This doubles the value of this corridor for conservation purposes.