Goldsboro, Pennsylvania

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Not to be confused with Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania.

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Goldsboro, Pennsylvania
Borough
Goldsboro in 2022 with Three Mile Island in the background
Goldsboro in 2022 with Three Mile Island in the background
Template:Infobox settlement/columns
Location in York County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Location in York County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Template:Location map
Coordinates: 40°09′08″N 76°45′02″W / 40.15222°N 76.75056°W / 40.15222; -76.75056Coordinates: 40°09′08″N 76°45′02″W / 40.15222°N 76.75056°W / 40.15222; -76.75056[1]
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyYork
Settled1736
Founded1850
Incorporated1864
Government
 • TypeBorough Council
 • MayorDouglas G. Smith[2]
Area
[3]
 • TotalTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
 • LandTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
 • WaterTemplate:Infobox settlement/areadisp
Elevation
Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp
Population
 (2020)[4]
 • Total930
 • Estimate 
(2023)[4]
928
 • DensityTemplate:Infobox settlement/densdisp
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
17319
Area codes717, 223
FIPS code42-30016
Websitegoldsboropa.com

Goldsboro (formerly Goldsborough) is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 930 at the 2020 census.[4] It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area.

For historical reasons, the post office in Goldsboro is named "Etters", although there is no incorporated place known by that name, and the United States Postal Service states[5] that the name "Etters" is preferred over "Goldsboro" for addressing mail to ZIP code 17319.

History

In 1734, John Day and Nathan Hussey, Quakers from New Castle County, Delaware, obtained land grants (called Bluntson Licenses) for land on which Goldsboro now stands. They became official in 1736, when the Penn Family made a treaty with the Iroquois Confederacy and purchased land in what became northern York County. John Day's land included virtually all of present day Goldsboro, and he built a mill right next to Fishing Creek as early as 1740. Nathan Hussey's land included present day South Goldsboro and Cly, and he opened a ferry across the Susquehanna River, where the early settlers would have crossed to their newly purchased land.[6]

Along the turnpike, near the site of the Middletown Ferry, Henry Etter established Etter's Tavern, which included Etter's Post Office by 1838. Goldsboro was founded in 1850 upon completion of a railroad from York Haven to Harrisburg. Prior to completion of the railroad, the 20 or so houses that made up Goldsboro were affectionately referred to as Martinsville, for Martin P. Burger, who owned a store near the village. When the railway was completed in 1850, the village was named Goldsborough in honor of J.M. Goldsborough, the civil engineer of the railway. In 1849, Dr. Alexander Small surveyed Goldsborough, and he officially advertised lots for sale in the village of Goldsborough as early as November 19, 1850. The Borough of Goldsborough was incorporated in 1864.[7]

A historical association was founded in 1976. The Goldsboro Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[8]

The American Lightweight Championship

On January 15, 1867, a prize fight took place in a field just north of Goldsboro between Sam Collyer and Johnny McGlade for the American Lightweight championship of boxing, and a purse of $2000.[9] It was a bare-knuckle fight, which was illegal at the time, so they planned the match for the same day as the inauguration of the Governor of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, the Civil War General John W. Geary, thinking that more attention would be on that event. The York County sheriff arrived after securing a posse with the Zeigle Guards, a military company already on its way to attend the inauguration. However, due to a miscommunication, the guards did not get off the train in Goldsboro, so the sheriff was left alone to try and make any arrests, which he was unable to.[10]

The fight lasted 47 rounds in 55 minutes.[9] Collyer was the winner and kept the American Lightweight Title. It was estimated that between 1000 and 2000 spectators were in attendance, including members of the PA state legislature, gamblers and underworld figures Kit Burns and Harry Hill, plus other boxers and former title holders of the day Young Barney Aaron, Dan Kerrigan, Johnny Moneghan and Joe Coburn. It was estimated over $200,000 in bets were won as a result of the fight.[11]

Etymology of the name "Etters"

The name "Etters", used by the USPS to refer to the post office in Goldsboro, comes from the establishment in 1838 of a post office inside a tavern owned by Henry Etter, a former Revolutionary War soldier, approximately one mile north of the current location of Goldsboro. The post office was moved to Goldsboro in 1850, at which time it retained the name "Etters" to avoid confusion with the already established post office in Gouldsboro, Wayne County, PA.[7][12][13] The 17319 ZIP code also covers parts of York County well beyond the borough of Goldsboro, including parts of Fairview Township, Valley Green, Newberry Township, Lewisberry Borough, and Yocumtown Village.[14]

Three Mile Island Nuclear Disaster

Main article: Three Mile Island accident
File:Goldsboro, PA and TMI.jpg
Goldsboro in 1979 with Three Mile Island in the background

There was a partial meltdown of reactor number 2 of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (TMI-2) in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, directly across the river from Goldsboro, and subsequent radiation leak that occurred on March 28, 1979. It is the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.[15] On the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale, the incident was rated a five as an "accident with wider consequences."[16][17] Residents of Goldsboro evacuated to nearby relatives and motels.

Main article: Three Mile Island accident health effects
File:Fallout shelter sign. Goldsboro, Pennsylvania. - NARA - 540024.tif
Fallout Shelter on Goldsboro square

Following the incident, radiation levels in the soil and water were closely monitored. Reports of animals and crop sickness came from farmers around Goldsboro, along with other health effects and cancers of people in the area.[18][19] A peer-reviewed research article by Dr. Steven Wing found a significant increase in cancers from 1979–1985 among people who lived within ten miles of TMI;[20] in 2009 Dr. Wing stated that radiation releases during the accident were probably "thousands of times greater" than the NRC's estimates. A retrospective study of Pennsylvania Cancer Registry found an increased incidence of thyroid cancer in some counties south of TMI (although, notably, not in Dauphin County itself) and in high-risk age groups but did not draw a causal link with these incidences and to the accident.[21][22] The Talbott lab at the University of Pittsburgh reported finding only a few, small, mostly statistically non-significant, increased cancer risks within the TMI population, such as a non-significant excess leukemia among males being observed.[23]

Geography

Goldsboro is located along the Susquehanna River and has a view of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, the site of the largest nuclear accident in the United States.

Demographics

Template:US Census population As of the census[24] of 2000, there were 939 people, 333 households, and 260 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,306.3 inhabitants per square mile (890.5/km2). There were 365 housing units at an average density of 896.5 per square mile (346.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.51% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

Of the 333 households, 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 32.2% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $57,054, and the median income for a family was $60,455. Males had a median income of $40,250 versus $31,146 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,164. About 1.7% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Goldsboro community is served by the West Shore School District.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  2. ↑ Election results for York County municipalities: Live updates,
  3. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 US Census Bureau. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ "USPS ZIP Code Lookup (Cities by ZIP Code): 17319". usps.com. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  6. ↑ "The (sort-of) Brief History of Goldsboro".
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gibson, John (1886). "History of York County, Pennsylvania: GOLDSBORO". USGenWeb Archives. Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co. pp. 627–630. Retrieved August 5, 2016. ... the postoffice was removed to Goldsboro, but still retains the name Etter’s Postoffice ...
  8. ↑ Template:NRISref
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Light Weight Championship". New York Clipper - 26 Jan 1867.
  10. ↑ "Correction". The True Democrat - 29 Jan 1867.
  11. ↑ Gibson, John (1886). "History of York County, Pennsylvania". Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co. pp. 627–630.
  12. ↑ Burger, TW (October 27, 2002). "Where the heck is Etters? The answer is ..." Patriot-News, The (Harrisburg, PA). p. A01. ISSN 1041-4029. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  13. ↑ Larsen, Kari (August 28, 2015). "Where is Etters? Red Land gives sports fans a look at central Pa.'s eccentric geography". PennLive. PA Media Group. Retrieved August 10, 2016. ... In early days, post offices were privately owned. The first post office in the Goldsboro area was owned by Henry Etter. This was about 1838 ...
  14. ↑ "ZIP Code 17319 Map, Housing Stats, More for Etters, PA". www.unitedstateszipcodes.org. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ Spiegelberg-Planer, Rejane. "A Matter of Degree: A revised International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) extends its reach". International Atomic Energy Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  17. ↑ King, Laura; Hall, Kenji; Magnier, Mark (March 18, 2011). "In Japan, workers struggling to hook up power to Fukushima reactor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  18. ↑ Katagiri Mitsuru and Aileen M. Smith (1989), Three Mile Island: The People's Testament - based on interviews with 250 residents between 1979 and 1988.
  19. ↑ Robert Del Tredici (1982) The People of Three Mile Island, Random House, Inc.
  20. ↑ Wing, S.; Richardson, D.; Armstrong, D.; Crawford-Brown, D. (January 1997). "A reevaluation of cancer incidence near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant: the collision of evidence and assumptions". Environ Health Perspect. 105 (1): 52–57. doi:10.1289/ehp.9710552. PMC 1469835. PMID 9074881.
  21. ↑ Levin, R. J. (2008). "Incidence of thyroid cancer in residents surrounding the three mile island nuclear facility". Laryngoscope. 118 (4): 618–628. doi:10.1097/MLG.0b013e3181613ad2. PMID 18300710. S2CID 27337295. Thyroid cancer incidence has not increased in Dauphin County, the county in which TMI is located. York County demonstrated a trend toward increasing thyroid cancer incidence beginning in 1995, approximately 15 years after the TMI accident. Lancaster County showed a significant increase in thyroid cancer incidence beginning in 1990. These findings, however, do not provide a causal link to the TMI accident.
  22. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Levin RJ; De Simone NF; Slotkin JF; Henson BL. 1238:2064–71
  23. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Han YY; Youk AO; Sasser H; Talbott EO. 1230–5
  24. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GR2

Template:York County, Pennsylvania

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