Jerome, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jerome
CDP
Southbound PA 601 (Penn Avenue) through Jerome
Jerome Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Jerome Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Somerset
Area
• Total	2.60 sq mi (6.74 km²)
• Land	2.60 sq mi (6.74 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Population (2020)
• Total	942
• Density	361.89/sq mi (139.74/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	15937
Area code(s)	814
FIPS code	42-38104

Jerome is a small community in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It is known as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2020, about 942 people lived there. Jerome is part of the larger Johnstown, Pennsylvania area. It is also part of Conemaugh Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, along with other towns like Davidsville and Thomas Mills.

Where is Jerome Located?

Jerome is located in Pennsylvania, in the United States. Its exact coordinates are 40°12′36″N 78°59′8″W.

Jerome's Size and Height

According to the United States Census Bureau, Jerome covers an area of about 2.6 square miles (6.7 square kilometers). All of this area is land. Jerome is located 1,796 feet (547 meters) above sea level.

People Living in Jerome

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
2020	942	—
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 779 people living in Jerome. These people lived in 317 households. About 23.7% of households had children under 18. Many families were married couples living together.

Age Groups in Jerome

The community has people of all ages. In 2010, about 18.4% of the population was under 18 years old. About 25.3% were 65 years or older. The average age in Jerome was 48.2 years.

Jerome's Past: A Coal Town Story

An aerial view of Jerome and the surrounding area in 1939. You can see the old mining buildings and railroad tracks.

An aerial view of Jerome and the surrounding area in 1967.

Jerome was founded in 1904. It was built as a "company town" for the Hillman Coal and Coke Company from Pittsburgh. The town was named after Jerome Coulson, whose father worked for the coal company. Many immigrants came to Jerome to work in the mines. They came from places like Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Russia, and Italy. People from Scotland, Wales, and Germany also settled here. Jerome had the biggest coal mine in the Cambria-Somerset area.

Life in a Company Town

The houses in Jerome were mostly made of wood. They were either two-story homes or smaller cottages. Many of these original houses are still standing today. People often had large vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and grape vines around their homes. Making homemade wine was a common tradition.

At its busiest, Jerome was a lively town. It had a movie theater, a bank, a hotel, and several stores. There was also a YMCA and a bowling alley. The coal mine employed over 1,000 men. Some people believe Jerome's population reached about 3,000 at its peak.

Transportation and Changes

In 1921, an electric streetcar line connected Jerome to Johnstown. This made it easier for people to travel. The streetcar left Jerome every two hours for a 60-minute trip. This service ended in 1933. A branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad also served Jerome, connecting the coal mine to a larger rail line.

The coal mine in Jerome closed in 1954. After that, Jerome became more of a "bedroom community." This means people lived there but often worked elsewhere. Even so, the town kept its strong community spirit for many years. For example, the Jerome Volunteer Fire Department was started in 1952 and is still active today.

Famous People from Jerome

Several notable people have ties to Jerome:

Jeff Hostetler: A National Football League quarterback who grew up near Jerome. He led the New York Giants to win Super Bowl XXV in 1991.
Brian Ferrari: A Jerome native who qualified for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. He also won several national championships in running.
Dick Trachok and Tommy Kalmanir: Both Jerome natives were inducted into the University of Nevada, Reno's football Team of the Century in 1998. Kalmanir played for the Los Angeles Rams. Trachok later coached football and was an athletic director at Nevada.
Tony Venzon: A baseball umpire for the National League from 1957 to 1971.
Ted Lach: A jazz clarinetist, band leader, and composer from Jerome.

The Big Coal Strike of 1922-1923

Jerome was a key location for efforts by the United Mine Workers Union to organize miners. A very important and long strike began on April 14, 1922. It was led by a local miner named George Gregory and other union supporters.

Why the Strike Happened

Coal demand dropped after World War I. The Hillman Coal and Coke Company cut miners' wages twice in 1921. Miners also had to do "dead work" (removing waste rock) without pay. Miners felt conditions were hard and unfair. George Gregory and other miners held secret meetings to plan the strike.

Powers Hapgood: A Union Helper

Powers Hapgood was a 23-year-old Harvard graduate who chose to work as a miner. In 1922, he volunteered to help organize the non-union mines in Somerset County, starting with Jerome. Hapgood and Gregory became good friends.

Hapgood used peaceful protests, legal actions, and publicity to help the miners. He was arrested many times for protesting. These arrests helped bring attention to the miners' struggles in court. He also made sure the miners' story was shared in newspapers across the country. This helped gain public support. Even some mine owners, like John D. Rockefeller Jr., spoke out in favor of the miners.

The Strike Begins in Jerome

On April 14, 1922, Jerome miners refused to enter the mine. They marched through town with music, and a large rally took place. The mine owners were surprised. This action in Jerome helped the strike spread to other non-union mines in the region. The 1922 strike became the largest in the history of the United Mine Workers Union, with over 500,000 miners joining.

Life During the Strike

The strike in Jerome lasted for 16 months. The town became like an occupied camp. Police and state militia patrolled the area. The Hillman Coal Company began to evict miner families from their company-owned homes. About 192 families in Jerome were forced out.

Homeless strikers and their families set up a "tent city" on nearby farms. People across the country heard about their suffering. A New York City commission found that conditions for the evicted families were very bad. John D. Rockefeller Jr. said the miners' complaints were "well founded."

The strike was difficult, but the miners stayed strong. Only about 100 out of 750 miners returned to work early. Towards the end of the strike, some buildings and bridges were destroyed by dynamite. Both strikers and company employees were thought to be responsible for these acts.

What Happened After the Strike?

In August 1923, after 16 months, the miners at Jerome agreed to return to work. They were exhausted. Hillman Coal offered most miners their jobs back if they returned as individuals, not as part of a union.

Even though the strike didn't immediately bring big economic benefits, it was seen as a victory by the miners. Before the strike, miners felt alone and without hope. The strike helped bring the community together. It laid the groundwork for the mine to become unionized in the 1930s. The strike helped create a stronger, more unified community in Jerome that lasted for generations.

Jerome's Environment: From Coal to Clean Water

For many years, Jerome's landscape was dominated by a large, black "bony pile." This was a man-made mountain of waste from coal mining. It was located south of Penn Avenue. Only a few plants could grow on it because it was hot, dry, and lacked nutrients. Harmful metals like arsenic and mercury leaked from the pile into the surrounding area.

Cleaning Up the Land and Water

In the 1970s, the bony pile was removed. Local power plants found ways to extract more coal from the waste. Today, only a small scar remains on the hillside.

Water from the Jerome mine used to flow into the South Fork of Bens Creek. This mine water contained high levels of iron, which made parts of Bens Creek unable to support fish from about 1900 to 1994.

A group called the Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP) worked to clean up Bens Creek. They built a system to remove the iron toxins from the water. This project, completed in 1994, helped restore Bens Creek. Today, Bens Creek is home to brook, brown, and rainbow trout once again.

Jerome's Churches and Community Groups

Churches have always been important to Jerome's social life. Here are some of the churches and community organizations that have been part of Jerome's history:

Churches in Jerome

Maple Spring Church of the Brethren: Started in 1849. The current building was built in 1905.
Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church: Organized in 1911. The building was completed in 1913. This parish later merged with another church in Davidsville.
The Assumption of the Holy Blessed Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church: Organized in 1911. The building was completed in 1918 but was later closed and demolished in 1974.
Ss. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church: Organized in 1913. The original building was rebuilt in 1935 after a fire.
Jerome Evangelical Lutheran Church: The building was completed in 1914 as a "Union Church" for several Protestant groups. It became solely Lutheran in 1925. The church closed in 1997.
Jerome Church of the Nazarene: Organized in 1928. The building was completed in 1969. This church closed around 2014.

Community Organizations

American Legion Post 802: Chartered in 1946.
Jerome American Legion Ladies Auxiliary: Organized in 1947.
Jerome Sportsmen's Association.
Jerome Volunteer Fire Department: Chartered in 1952.
Northern Somerset County Target Association: Promotes youth shooting sports.
Polish Falcons of America, Nest 556: Organized in 1914.

Jerome also had an elementary school from 1904 to 2011. The final school building opened in 1961 and closed in 2011.