HALFMOON TOWNSHIP

Halfmoon township was erected at January sessions, 1802. Abraham Elder was the first settler in its territory in the year 1784. A Quaker settlement was formed within its limits as early as 1792 when George Wilson came into the valley. Among the early settlers were Benjamin Way, Caleb Way, Isaac and Thomas Moore, John Spencer, etc. The township is noted for its iron ore deposits. Stormstown was its earliest village, laid out by Jacob Storm early in the present century. Jacob Lebo was its first storekeeper and Abraham Elder's tavern a noted landmark of the valley. The village of Loveville was founded in 1855 by James Love.

(SOURCE: Eleventh Census of the Population of the United States Published by Boroughs and Townships, in Connection with a Business Directory of the Same, Bellefonte, Pa., 1890.)

HALF-MOON TOWNSHIP CENSUS RECORDS

1850--714
1860--703
1870--698
1880--563
1890--748
1900--624
1910--562
1920--433
1930--399
1940--450
1950--464
1960--478
1970--543
1980--717
1990--1,469
2000--2,357

(SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce.)

TOWNS & VILLAGES

Villages and towns in Halfmoon Township include Stormstown, Walkersville, Loveville, Dunkirk, Centennial, Centre Line and Tow Hill. For a discussion of these see Paul M. Dubbs, Where to Go and Place-Names of Centre County, 1961.

TAX ASSESSMENT RECORDS

Tax assessment records for Halfmoon Township from 1802 forward can be found in the basement of the Centre County Library and Historical Museum in Bellefonte. Persons wishing to use these records must first sign the Guest Researcher register in the Pennsylvania Room.

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