Wampum is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 678 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Wampum is located at 40°53′19″N 80°20′23″W / 40.88861°N 80.33972°W / 40.88861; -80.33972 (40.888657, -80.339650)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (4.17%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 678 people, 290 households, and 182 families residing in the borough. The population density was 736.1 people per square mile (284.5/km²). There were 310 housing units at an average density of 336.6/sq mi (130.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.05% White, 1.77% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.44% Asian, and 0.59% from two or more races.
There were 290 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $29,205, and the median income for a family was $36,094. Males had a median income of $31,023 versus $26,071 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,598. About 11.8% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable Residents
It is the birthplace of former baseball All-Star Dick Allen and his brothers Hank and Ron Allen. Also the birthplace and home of semi-professional hockey player Matthew Puntureri. [hockeydb.com]
In the media
The horror film "Day of the Dead" was filmed in a former mine shaft located near Wampum.
The borough got some national attention in February 2009 when 26-year-old Kenzie Houk was murdered in the borough by her boyfriend's 11-year-old son Jordan Brown with a shotgun that is legally allowed for use by children for hunting purposes.[3] Houk was pregnant with her own son at the time (her third child overall, already a mother to two girls) and was expecting to give birth within the next couple of weeks.[4] The unborn fetus also died. Despite Brown's age, by Pennsylvania state law juveniles between the ages of ten and eighteen can be charged as an adult for murder.[5] Brown is currently being charged as an adult for a double homicide for both Houk and her unborn son.
References
