Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
| Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania |
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|---|---|
| Township | |
The Enoch Wright House on Venetia Road
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 Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania highlighting Peters Township |
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 Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Washington |
| Established | 1781 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council |
| • Chairman | James F. Berquist |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.8 sq mi (51 km2) |
| • Land | 19.6 sq mi (51 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 21,213 |
| • Density | 896.6/sq mi (396/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 724 |
| Website | http://www.peterstownship.com/ |
Peters Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 21,213 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 19.8 square miles (51.2 km²), of which 19.6 square miles (50.7 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) is water. The main thoroughfares in Peters Township are U.S. Route 19 heading north and south, and East McMurray Road heading east and west.
Peters Township was incorporated in 1781 as one of Washington County's thirteen original townships. It had fallen within the area claimed by Virginia as its Yohogania County before the resolution of that state's boundary dispute with Pennsylvania. Over the years, portions of Peters Township were sectioned off to form other municipalities; eventually, leaving the present configuration of 19.5 square miles (51 km2).
Peters Township was named after William "Indian" Peters. There is uncertainty regarding Peters' race, with some sources holding that he was an Indian and others that he was a white man who traded with local Indians. Regardless, the Indian name has long-been associated with Peters Township.
Some of the first settlers were James and Joshua Wright, James Matthews, John Sweringer, Rev. David Phillips, Andrew Dunlevy, Daniel Townsend, William Fife and Robert Bell. Peters was initially a farming community and then later on coal became a major industry that resulted in the development of Hackett, presently a small settlement 1.2 miles (2 km) east of Venetia.
Peters Township remained a sparsely populated rural community until the 1950s. In 1950 the population was 3,004. By the year 2000, this number had increased to 17,556. In 1976, the township's home rule charter became effective. This altered the form of government from the prevalent Second Class Township Supervisor format to the present Council-Manager form.
The township's current arrowhead logo was adopted with the new home rule charter. It was designed by local artist Robert Chamberlain, who used an arrowhead found in Peters Township as the pattern.
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