Greene County's location and topographic features can be briefly stated; it is situated in the extreme southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, and is bounded on the north by Washington County, on the east by the Monongahela River which separates it from Fayette County, on the south by West Virginia, and the western extremity of the Mason and Dixon's line forming the dividing boundary, and on the west by West Virginia, known as the Panhandle. Greene County is considered the cornerstone of the keystone state.
It contains within these limits 389,120 square acres of surface, or about 578 square miles. The surface is drained by the Monongahela River, which unites with the Allegheny at Pittsburgh and forms the Ohio proper, and by the Wheeling River which also falls into the Ohio, and forms part of the great Mississippi.
Greene County is 89.2 percent rural; with a population of about 41,000 residents. The county seat for Greene County is within the Borough of Waynesburg, located at exit 14 of Interstate 79, about 60 miles south of Pittsburgh.
County Geography:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 578 square miles (1,497 km²), of which, 576 square miles (1,491 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.
The watershed which separates the waters of the Mon River from the Wheeling system, commences at a point on the Washington County line a little north and east (near the northern extremity of Morris Township), and pursues a southwesterly course cutting a small section of the eastern portion of Richhill Township, striking Jackson Township at a point near the intersection of Jackson and Center Townships.
Waynesburg Borough is governed by nine elected members of Council. Residents and businesses also have the safety and welfare of having a full time police force consisting of a chief, lieutenant and patrolmen. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department add several deputies to the law enforcement. The Borough also has an in-house zoning officer, code enforcement officer, a street department of four people, and a sanitary department of three employees and maintains several parks and recreational areas in the community. Fire protection for the entire county is covered by volunteer firemen from various township and borough fire deparments.
Three County Commissioners constitute the chief governing body of the county. Statutory authority of the commissioners is primarily of an administrative nature with legislative or policy-making powers. The county commissioners are vested with selective policy-making authority to provide certain local services and facilities on a county-wide basis. Administrative powers and duties of county commissioners encompass registration and elections, assessment of persons and property, human services, veterans' affairs, appointment of county personnel and fiscal management.
County government is divided operationally into clearly defined departments; Finance & Administration, Human Services, Law & Order, Economic Development, and Recreation. Within each department there are boards made up of interested citizens who serve in advisory capacities, enhancing the public participation aspect of county operations. Greene County Municipalities:
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and towns. Greene County is made up of 26 municipalities (20 Townships and 6 Boroughs).
The largest municipality being Franklin Township with a population of 7,694 (2004 U.S. Consensus stat).
The governing body of Greene County Townships is composed of three supervisors who are elected at-large.
Two additional supervisors may be elected if approved by referendum. All are elected at-large for six-year terms.
Click on any municipality from the map below for detailed information:
* These townships were formed after Washington County ws formed in 1781.
Source of this township formation information was porvided by Thomas (Tom) Headlee, Alvah J.W. Headlee, Dorothy T. Hennen, & Grace A. Glennen.
Also an assis from Crumrine's History of Washington County, PA and Caldwell's 1876 Greene County Atlas.
Greene County History:
Greene County ~~ was created on February 9, 1796, from part of Washington County and named for General Nathanael Greene. Waynesburg, the county seat, named for Major General Anthony Wayne, was laid out in 1796, and incorporated as a borough on January 29, 1816.
First Permanent Settlement: is believed to have been the Swan-VanMeter-Hughes party from Virginia in 1767. Once the Indian hostility and Whiskey Rebellion problems had passed, this county was formed in order to benefit small farmers. Beginning with the Merino Sheep bonanza of the 1820s, wool became a major product. Although overshadowed by production elsewhere in the world, Greene County stills leads other Pennsylvania counties in sheep production (occasionally challenged by Washington County). When the Monongahela River slackwater system reached Rice's Landing in 1857, it becase easier to market products. Bituminous coal mining began in 1902; in recent years this being Pennsylvania's highest producing county for coal, nearly all from subsurface mines. Natural gas was also found in abundance. Forty percent of the land is in farms, although cash receipts from agriculture are low.
The tradition that it rains somewhere in the county every July 29, isa popular myth that began by a local pharmacist.
The original inhabitants of Greene County were the Indian Sachem Six Nations (Iroquois Confederacy) and consisted of the following Indian peoples: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayuga, Senecas, and Tuscaroras. The County as well as the entire state of Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn on March 4, 1681 by King William II. Greene County was established on February 9, 1796 when Washington County was divided into two counties through an act of the Legislature. The southern portion became Greene County, named after the Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene and consisted of 577 square miles. The first European inhabitants were a mix of the following: English, Irish, Scotch, Scotch-Irish, and German.
Colonel John Minor is considered the "Father of Greene" because he sponsored the bill that made the division of Washington County a reality. Between 1796 and 1860 thirteen separate municipalities were established within the county in addition to the original six municipalities. Permanent settlement began in Waynesburg (named after General "Mad" Anthony Wayne) following a deed sale on October 28, 1796. The Borough of Waynesburg was established as the County Seat in 1816.
Greene County developed its economic base historically through mining and agriculture. Gas wells, coal mining, and wool production provided the early forms of growth in Greene County. At one point the wool industry was so prosperous that the County was the first overall in total Merino wool production and was said to have more sheep than human inhabitants county-wide. Although the agricultural component of the County has diminished, the mining industry is considered the top industry operating in Greene County today. Currently, there are eight coal mines in production in the County famous for a large product turnout each year. Greene County has the largest bituminous coal reserves in the state.
A contributing element of Greene County history is the commitment to pursuits of higher learning. Waynesburg College was established in 1849 from two separate schools in the area: Greene Academy in Carmichaels and Madison College in Uniontown (Fayette County). Situated in the County Seat, Waynesburg College and is a positive component to the growth of the County.
In 2007, Waynesburg College became Waynesburg University and offers doctoral, graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 programs of study. With 2,300 students, the University provides education at its main campus in Waynesburg as well as three adult centers located in the Pittsburgh regions of Southpointe, North Hills and Monroeville.
Today's date is:
For general information, please contact the Information Services at 724-852-5399 / Toll Free: 1-888-852-5399. County Office Building, 93 E. High Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370
About Greene County:
