Wolf Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,707 at the 2000 census. This is up from 734 residents at the census of 1890. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Wolf Township is bordered by Plunketts Creek Township to the north, Shrewsbury Township to the norteast, Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania and Penn Township to the east, Moreland Township to the souteast, Muncy Creek Township to the southwest, Muncy Township and Mill Creek Township to the west. Wolf Township surrounds the borough of Hughesville.
Wolf Township was formed from part of Muncy Township by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in September of 1834. The township is named for George Wolf who was the governor of Pennsylvania from 1829 to 1835. The boroughs of Hughesville and Picture Rocks are on land that was taken from Wolf Township.
The geology of Wolf Township played a role in its history. Limestone was quarried west of Hughesville for use as lime. Lime is used in large quantities as building and engineering materials (including limestone products, concrete and mortar) and as chemical feedstocks, among other uses. Lime industries and the use of many of the resulting products date from prehistoric periods in both the Old World and the New World. Wolf Township was also the home to several Pennsylvania Bluestone quarries. Pennsylvania Bluestone has many uses, from cut dimensional stone used in patios, walkways and stair treads to architectural stone used in buildings. It is also used for wallstone, decorative boulders, natural steps and other landscape features. The name "Pennsylvania Bluestone" is due to its predominantly blue color and because the majority of stone is quarried in Pennsylvania.
David Aspen was the first white settler to live within the borders of what is now Wolf Township. He was scalped during American Revolutionary War, when his and other settlements throughout the Susquehanna valley were attacked by Loyalists and Native Americans allied with the British. Abraham Webster was another of the early settlers to be attacked, only he survived and returned to Wolf Township twelve years after the Big Runaway. His entire family had been killed but he returned with a new wife and re-established his home.
The earliest industrial venture in Wolf Township was a gristmill constructed in 1816. A wool carding mill was built in 1842. There were also several sawmills in the township that were part of the lumber industry that covered much of Pennsylvania during the late 1800s.
