Port Matilda was named in honor of 'Matilda,' the eldest daughter of Squire Clement Beckwith, early prominent settler. Where the 'Port' came from has been the subject of much argument. One guess is that since the town was a gateway of four corners of travel in every direction it represented a sort of 'port.' Then, there's the legend that once, when Squire Beckwith was ill, he asked Matilda for a drink. 'What do you want?' the daughter is pictured as asking. Came the reply, 'Port, Matilda.' Port Matilda was incorporated in 1926 from Worth Township.
(SOURCE: Paul M. Dubbs, Where to Go and Place-Names of Centre County, 1961.)
PORT MATILDA CENSUS RECORDS
1930--508 1940--646 1950--685 1960--697 1970--680 1980--647 1990--669 2000--638
(SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce.)
TAX ASSESSMENT RECORDS
Tax assessment records for Port Matilda Borough from 1927 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.