Curwensville is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Altoona on the West Branch Susquehanna River. Coal mining, tanning, and the manufacture of fire bricks were the industries at the turn of the 20th century. In 1900, 1,937 people lived in the borough, and in 1910, 2,549 lived there. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough had a population of 2,542. The population of the borough at its highest was 3,422 in 1940.
History
Curwensville was named for John Curwen in 1799. Curwensville became the second borough of Clearfield County in 1851.
Industry
North American Refractories Company was a brick plant in Curwensville. The "Brick Yard" as most called it in the community made many different types of brick. Seneca, acid, and cardic brick were all manufactured in NARCO. They were also noted for hot gun models and specialty shapes. The sandstone quarry owned by Russell Stone Products, Inc. in Curwensville, PA, is a valued asset. Although the site had remained dormant for a lengthy period of time in the 1900s, today it is a viable source that has extensively supplied material for many prominent projects nationwide.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,650 people, 1,144 households, and 758 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,178.4 people per square mile. There were 1,254 housing units at an average density of 557.7 per square mile. The ethnic composition of the borough was 99.02% White, 0.34% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. 0.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,144 households of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couplesliving together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were not nuclear families. 30.6% of all households were made up of solitary dwellers of varying ages with 15.9% of those being a person who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 people and the average family size was 2.84 people. The ages of persons living in the Curwensville borough were widely varied with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $27,281, and the median income for a family was $36,197. Males had a median income of $28,145 versus $18,598 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,829. 16.0% of the population and 12.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.0% of those under the age of 18 and 12.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
