LEECHBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

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'Leechburg' is a borough in southern Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. Leechburg was founded by David Leech, for whom it was later named, and was incorporated as a Borough in 1850.
Located along the Kiskiminetas River, Leechburg was known as a major port of the Pennsylvania Canal. Early in the twentieth century, it had been the site of extensive steel sheet works, foundries, cement plants, and productive coal mines.
Population:

1850: 359

1870: 368

1880: 1,123

1890: 1,921

1900: 2,459

1910: 3,624

1930: 4,489

1940: 4,275

1950: 4,042

1960: 3,545

1970: 2,999

1980: 2,682

1990: 2,504

2000: 2,386

Contents

Government

Geography

Demographics

History

Education

External links

Government

Leechburg is governed by a Mayor and Council. The current elected officials for the Borough (and the year their current terms expire) are as follows:
Mayor Chuck Pascal (2010)
Council President Anthony Defilippi (2008)
Council Members: Virgil Bashline (2008), Rebecca Bollinger (2010), Robert T. Foster (2008), Aaron Hohos (2010), Richard Meyer (2008), and D.J. Zelczak (2008).
Leechburg is in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, represented in Congress by Rep. John Murtha (D).
At the state level, Leechburg is in the 38th Senatorial District, represented by State Senator Jim Ferlo (D), and in the 55th Legislative District, represented by Rep. Joe Petrarca (D).

Geography

Leechburg is located at (40.629304, -79.603727)., and is 800 feet above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²). 1.2 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (8.16%) is water.
The town is bordered by the Kiskiminetas River to the south, on the border of Westmoreland County, and Gilpin Township to the north.

Panaramic View facing West showing approximately 160 degrees of downtown Leechburg from on top of the highrise located at 2nd and Main Street.

Panaramic View facing East showing approximately 180 degrees of downtown Leechburg from on top of the highrise located at 2nd and Main Street.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,386 people, 1,109 households, and 645 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,047.2/km² (5,320.9/mi²). There were 1,193 housing units at an average density of 1,023.6/km² (2,660.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.53% White, 1.26% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 1,109 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $27,434, and the median income for a family was $38,785. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $25,901 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,242. About 7.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

Leechburg was founded in 1850 by David Leech.
'The following text is from:'
Source: Page 135-146, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed September 1999 by Sara Stewart for the Armstrong County Beers Project
Published 1999 by the Armstrong County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project
'TEXT:'
Located in a deep bend of the Kiskiminetas river, five miles from its junction with the Allegheny, Leechburg has all the advantages of geographical location and scenic beauty. Although this spot had all the necessary requirements for a townsite, there were but few settlers there before 1821. It was not until the building of the Pennsylvania canal from 1826 to 1829 that there were enough people living in the place to entitle it to the name of village.
"Oldtown," just one mile east, across the Kiskiminetas river, below Carnahan's run, and "Jacksonville," two miles west, each had more population than the settlement of "Friendship," as the site of Leechburg was then called. The first house here, a log one, was located near the site of the present Grace Lutheran church, back of the lot on which the high school now stands. It stood near a large spring north of Siberian avenue, near Spring alley. Addison Leech had the water of this spring piped to his residence on Market street, the present residence of Hon. Joseph G. Beale. For many years this spring supplied a large number of the citizens with water; in fact it was almost a public resort until the waterworks were built in 1891.
The site of Leechburg was for the most part patented by White Mattock, an Indian chief, in August, 1783, while John Vanderen had also patented a parcel of land part of which Leechburg now occupies Feb. 1O, 1773, ten years before. White Mattock's grant consisted of 192-1/2 acres and the main business and residence portion of Leechburg is on this tract. Among the early owners of Leechburg's site was John Walker, to whom this land was surveyed in October, 1773, but he seemed never to have taken out title papers. Other later owners were William P. Brady, Jacob Mechling, Frederick Steif, Joseph Hunter, Matthew Shields and David Leech. The site was later called "White Plains," and the names of White Mattock and Matthew Shields appear in most all old deeds, especially those which came from David and his son Addison Leech. The first two settlers in Leechburg, as far as any history records, were Joseph Hunter, mentioned above, and Michael Moorhead, a drover by occupation. They owned cabins near the "Big Spring."
Leechburg was very prosperous in the past during the building of the old Pennsylvania canal, and was the headquarters of the promoters and builders of that famous connecting waterway between the Atlantic ocean and the waters of the Mississippi valley. This canal west of the Allegheny mountains was supplied entirely by the waters of the Conemaugh and Kiskiminetas rivers (they being the same stream under different names), and did more to develop the middle and western States than any other enterprise before or after. It paved the way for the construction of the Pennsylvania railroad and supplied a convenient and cheap means of transporting food and merchandise for the early inhabitants of the western part of the State.
David Leech came to this place in 1827, having the contract to build the Pennsylvania canal dam, in partnership with a man named Trux. The dam was 36 feet high and 574 feet long, and boats commenced to use the canal in 1829.
Leech used the water from this dam to run his flouring and saw mills and a woolen factory from 1829 to 1832. Thereafter he was engaged in building freight and passenger boats for use on the canal. His was the second boat to pass through the canal to Pittsburgh. In all, he had at one time eight boats in constant use on the canal, until it was superseded by the Pennsylvania railroad, the railroad company purchasing it from the State.
These mills, after David Leech's death, came into the hands of his son, Addison, and after him were operated by R. D. Elwood & Bro. The old mill building is now used by the Leechburg Oil & Paint Co. as a manufactory of paints and painters' supplies.
In addition to the above-mentioned enterprises the founder of Leechburg was, soon after he settled here, engaged in the mercantile lines of trade and together with his sons was afterward extensively engaged in the same business. He was, from 1853 till 1856, an active member of the firm of Leech, Chamberlain & Co., engaged in the construction of the Allegheny Valley railroad from Pittsburgh to Kittanning. His vigorous constitution began to yield to the weight of years, the numerous cares and responsibilities of his active life and to the approach of disease, in 1857, and he died November 3, 1858, regretted and esteemed, at home and abroad.
The growth of Leechburg began with the completion of the canal. The first brick house was built in 1830 by Solomon Moore. It has long since been removed to give place to a more modern dwelling. Leech was a great builder himself, and there are several of the substantial brick homes of his construction still in use. The old Leech residence is still in a fine state of repair.

Education

The children of Leechburg are educated by the Leechburg Area School District. The school district consists of Leechburg, Gilpin Township and West Leechburg Borough.

External links

★ http://www.15656.com - The Leechburg Business Connection

★ http://www.15656.com/lip/ - The Leechburg Intersection Project (Pictures of intersections in Leechburg)

★ http://www.leechburgwiki.com - The Leechburg Wiki