[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), all land.

The Parkhurst Memorial Presbyterian Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Its territory, taken from Delmar Township, extended along the New York state line from the ninety-third to the one hundred and fourth mile-stone—a distance of eleven miles (18 km).

By the subsequent extension of the Elkland borough limits south of the Cowanesque river, the townships of Osceola and Nelson both suffered material reductions of area.

A man named Baker Pierce, who died in 1815, and whose remains were buried in the old pioneer graveyard at Osceola, appears to have been the first settler within the boundaries of Elkland borough.

Just when he settled or how long he remained cannot now be ascertained, but it must have been during the earlier years of the first decade of the present century.

It appears that William Courtright acquired title to the land first bought and settled on by Philip Taylor, which, in 1814, he conveyed to Lintsford Coates.

233 within the limits of what is now Nelson borough, and later he and his son, Lintsford, bought land and became residents of Elkland.

As early as 1815, Col. Samuel Tubbs and his sons excavated a mill race around the south side of what afterward became known as Davenport Island and erected a saw-mill and a grist-mill.

In 1890, the machinery, etc., was removed to a site north of the Fall Brook railroad at the head of Parkhurst street, and the present mill was erected.

About 1840, D. B. Schoff erected a water-power saw-mill on the river in the southern part of the village and operated it for a number of years.

In 1828, Joel Parkhurst, who had previously been in business with his brother in Lawrenceville, came to Elkland, joined with and later bought them out.

He became within a few years, not only a leading business man, but the wealthiest citizen of the Cowanesque valley, maintaining at the same time a well-deserved reputation for liberality, enterprise, and public spirit.

As the country became more settled, the village grew slowly, new stores being started, a school house built, a church organized, and such other trade and industrial enterprises set on foot as the condition and necessities of the people demanded.

Recently in a reminiscent article published in the Elkland Journal, he described this school and the pupils who attended and closed with the following description of the village: "At the time of my school Elkland was a mere hamlet, not even a four corners, as there was no street from Skinner's store to the river.

Joel Parkhurst, who settled in Elkland eleven years previously, kept a store on the site of the Journal office, and was the postmaster.

The Elkland Tannery was established about 1851 by James Hancock on the south bank of the Cowanesque River.

He owned and operated it in connection with his sons until 1893, when it passed into the hands of Proctor, Hunt & Co., of Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Cornelius retaining an interest in the business.

In January 1893, the tannery was destroyed by fire and rebuilt on the present site north of the Fall Brook railroad, beginning operations November 11, 1893.

The property had various owners afterwards, finally falling into the hands of C. L. Pattison who removed the plant north of the railroads and incorporated it with the furniture factory.

The Elkland Furniture Association (Limited) was incorporated March 25, 1882, by Charles L. Pattison, William L. Simmons and Abram Coon, with a capital stock of $6,287.34.

The plant was installed in ample buildings north of the railroad, and a large business soon built up.

Mr. Crandall was in the same business in Montrose, Pennsylvania, where his large factory burned August 27, 1886, involving a loss of $46,000.

Miss Wright, who afterwards became the wife of Ira Bulkley, taught a term of thirteen weeks beginning June 14, 1824, in an old log dwelling house "located where C. L. Pattison now resides."

There was no church in the Cowanesque valley, and the itinerant Methodist ministers who passed this way once in six weeks, held preaching services in some barn in the summer season.

John Ryon Sr. was postmaster and kept the office at his dwelling house, at which the mail arrived by carrier on horseback, once a week (Tuesdays).

"John Ryon, Esq.," as my father wrote his name among the patrons of my sister's school, was at that time a member of the state senate, deservedly popular, a most generous and obliging gentleman.

It was built by Rodney Shaw, afterwards a well known citizen of Mansfield, PA. At the raising there was used one and one-half gallons of whiskey, bought of H. Freeborn, of Shaver's Point—now Lawrenceville—for fifty cents.

One of the early teachers here after the adoption of the public school system was James Tubbs, who taught in the winter of 1839–40.