Emsworth:
latitude 40.51N, longitude -80.094W, elevation of 732 feet above sea
level. Our estimated population is 2,600. Emsworth Borough is located
on land that was originally purchased by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania from the heirs of William Penn. The purchase was ratified
by a local tribe of Indians shortly before the French and Indian War.
There was no attempt to develop this land until the Revolutionary War.
Young men were promised parcels of land in addition to any pay if they
would remain in the army and defend their country. A tract of land,
Emsworth, was patented to John Wilkins. The name "Emsworth" is
reportedly to have been the name of an old English Duke. The first
settler, John Cheney, took up residence in 1802. In 1805 he sold the
property of Emsworth to David and William Courtney. William
married the daughter of William Dickson who had been one of the first
settlers in Ben Avon. William built a stone home on the property that
is presently the athletic field along Ohio River Boulevard; the
Courtney's raised and educated eighteen children. President Zachary
Taylor was a guest in the Courtney home.
The present
Borough of Emsworth was crossed by the old Makintosh trail which extended
from Fort Pitt to what now is the Town of Beaver. Many families seeking to
find their fortune in the west were drawn to Emsworth because of it's scenic
beauty and location near waterways.
Emsworth is
approximately one mile in size and is still a
very peaceful, well maintained borough, proud to be the home of young
families as well as a number of senior citizens.