About Blooming Grove Township
Blooming Grove Township is the central township of Pike County and the only township not bordered by another County. It was established by an Act of Legislation on December 17, 1850. As of the 2020 Census, the population of Blooming Grove was 5,415. The Township is 77 square miles in size, of which 2.2 square miles are comprised of water bodies. Several thousand acres of State Forest and State Game Lands within its boundaries offer public recreation, hiking, hunting and fishing. These features make Blooming Grove Township both a beautiful area to vacation and an excellent place to live and raise a family.
History does not tell us the origin of the name, but two possibilities are considered. One is that the settlers found a grove of apple trees when coming here, and the other is the existence of an abundance of blooming pink Mountain Laurel. A map of Pennsylvania drawn by W. Scull in 1770 does indicate “Blooming Grove”, the ‘Sheholy” Creek and the “Sheholy House”. A writing about Sylvanus Seely, by Theodore Thayer, mentions that Jonas Seely obtained a warrant in 1765 which included the Blooming Grove tract.
When Blooming Grove Township was established, the principal occupation of the inhabitants was logging and saw mills. This remained true well into the 20th Century. One of the first known land developments was the property of the Lord family purchased when coming here in 1809 which became known as Lords Valley, an unincorporated community within the Township.
Today, our quiet community is mostly residential, with many of the homes being enjoyed by weekenders escaping from the city.