A Self-Governing Municipality
Sandycreek Township is one of Pennsylvania’s 2,561 self-governing municipalities. The small size of local governments in Pennsylvania is a part of a unique heritage of making local government small enough to maximize the opportunities of citizens to participate in decisions. The Township is governed by a board of three supervisors, who are elected on staggered terms by the citizens across the entire community (At-large election).
Community History
Sandycreek Township was named in 1834. An early Venango County history noted that the first settler was Patrick Manson, a native of Ireland, who found a home in the Township in 1797. Through-out the 19th century, the Township name was frequently spelled as “Sandy Creek.”
From its founding until after World War Two, Sandycreek was a community of small farms with scattered oil production and even a few small coal mines. The population was 1,079 people in 1930 and remained nearly stable for decades. It was so rural that as late as the 1930’s, the Township actually abandoned township roads due to non-use.
Beginning in the 1960’s this changed. With growing prosperity and a rising county population, new houses began to spring up. By 1990, the Township had nearly 2,500 residents. Growth brought a need for planning. The Venango County Planning Commission completed the first comprehensive plan for the Township in 1984. Public water and sewer extensions were made in the late 1980’s to serve residents. In 1992, the first zoning ordinance was adopted.