History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 19

Author: Prowell, George R.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1372

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A petition of citizens of Manheim and Heidelberg, 1766, sets forth that "the road from Conewago settlement (now Hanover) to Baltimore town was laid out thirty years before, or in 1736, by order of Baltimore County Court, before the temporary line between the two provinces had been run, and this was then thought to belong to Maryland; since the running of which line there is about ten miles on north side of line of as useful a road as perhaps any in the province of Pennsylvania, and not on record in this province." Henry Slagle. Esq., Michael Tanner, Richard McAllister, Casper Reineka, Christian Millheimer and Marks Forney were appointed by the court to view the road that it might be recorded. It began at the dwelling house of Michael Carl. north of Hanover. and extended nearly due south over the line of the

present Hanover and Baltimore turnpike. Being laid out in 1736, it was the first road in the county.

At the November session of court at Lan- caster, in 1741, a number of inhabitants near Codorus Creek petitioned for a road the nearest way from "the new town on the Great Codorus (York) to William Smith's patented land under Maryland." Smith's land was ten miles and thirty-nine perches south of York. The wishes of the petitioners were granted, and the court ap- pointed Woolrich Whisler, Michael Krei- ger, Michael Tanner, Michael Rolke, Adam Miller and George Copel to view and lay out the road. Their report was confirmed in February, 1742. The road began at the Spanish oak on Smith's land, extended nearly due north by way of Woolrich Whis- ler's mill, which was about two and one- fourth miles south of York, and must have been one of the first mills in the county. From thence it extended to the " end of the street, leading to the place intended for a court house in the town of York, and join- ing the road to John Wright's ferry." This road was laid out the year after the found- ing of the town of York and corresponds to the present Baltimore and Maryland Line turnpike.

On the 4th day of May, 1742, in answer to a petition, Robert McClure, Benjamin Chambers. Hance Hamilton, Patrick Car- son and William Bayley were appointed and soon afterward laid out a road (the report of which was confirmed), extending from Walnut Bottom. now in Cumberland County, across Yellow Breeches Creek at the present site of Lisburn, through Fish- ing Creek Valley, to Nathan Hussey's ferry, near the site of Goldsboro. Its entire length, according to draft, was thirty miles. During August of the following year the report of John Noblet, Joseph Bennet, Joseph Green and James Crawford was con- firmed, laying out a road " seven and three- fourth miles in length, from Nathan Hus- sey's ferry to Thomas Wilkin's ferry, over the Susquehanna below the mouth of Cone- wago Creek."

Upon receiving two petitions signed by many citizens from the Marsh Creek settle- ment (Gettysburg) and vicinity, William Ruddock, Richard Proctor. John Sharp. Benjamin Chambers and James Ruddock

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were appointed to view and lay out a road to York and Lancaster. It was soon after opened and corresponded very nearly to the route of the present York and Gettysburg turnpike.

The following petition is for the Newberry first public highway southward Road. to the town of York. It was long known as the "Newberry road":

The humble petition of the inhabitants of Newberry and Manchester, and others of the west side of the Sus- quehanna river to the honorable bench, the justices now sitting at Lancaster, most humbly showeth.

Whereas, We, your humble petitioners, having great need of a wagon road to Yorktown, therefore we humbly pray the honorable court that we may have a road laid out the nearest and best way from John Day's mill to the said Yorktown, and we, your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall pray.

IO mo., 12 da., 1745.

Nathan Hussey Robert Hodgin

John Day

John Hussey

John Garretson

Charles Jonas

Joseph Bennet John Snell

Peter Stout

Bartholomew Maul

James Frazer

Adam Miller

Thomas Rogers George Allbright

Patrick Carson George Swope

Andrew Rodgers.

This road started thirteen miles north from York, at John Day's mill, crossed the townships of Newberry and Manchester to York. It passed William Ewing's mill eight miles from York. John Day became the first president court justice of York County. He was a Quaker; Nathan Hus- sey, also of the same religious faith, became one of the commissioners to lay off York County in 1749.

Upon the petition of sundry inhabitants of Warrington, Monaghan, Dover and Manchester Townships for a road from Isaac Rutledge's mill to the town of York, the Lancaster Court appointed Francis Worley, Matthew Lambert, Peter Cook, Baltzer Knetzer and Henry Clark to view and lay out the road. They made their re- port to the court, which was confirmed at the October Quarter session, 1747. The road began at Rutledge's mill on the Yellow Breeches (the first mill in that section). From that point to Street (Straight) Hill, in Warrington Township with devious courses was ten miles. It continued from thence across Conewago Creek and the high ridge above Dover to York, and cor- responded nearly to the present road through Dover, Wellsville and Dillsburg and what is since known as the State road.

In 1748 a joint petition, with many sign- ers of the " townships of Hellam and Done- gal, was presented to the court at Lancaster for a road from Anderson's ferry (Marietta) to join the road from John Wright's ferry to York." On the petition all the names of the signers from Donegal are Scotch-Irish, except two of Hellam, German. The viewers appointed to open the road were George Swope. John Kelly, Lazarus Lowry, Martin Schultz and James Patterson. The road was surveyed and opened by order of the Lancaster Court, April, 1749.

In 1748 there was an effort made to secure connections by road by settlers in the vicinity of Dillsburg and York Springs to Harris' Ferry, the site of Harrisburg ; and a petition was sent to Lancaster, bear- ing date February 17, 1748, of which this is an exact copy :

The West Side of Susquehanna.

To the Honorable Court of Quarter Sessions held at Lancaster the first Tuesday of February, 1747-8.

The humble petition of part of the inhabitants of the west side of Susquehanna humbly showeth that as we have been obliged to work at and repair roads which we have had no benefit of, and as we have never had any roads laid out for our benefit we humbly desire the favor of the honorable bench to allow us a road to be laid and by order of court from John Harrise's ferry to William Wireman's mill. nearest and best way that can be found, and we, your petitioners, shall ever pray.

Matthew Dill James Dill Thos. Dill

Thomas Kenton

John Rood

Matthew Dill, junior

James Hamelton Andrew Miller, junior

Tho. Cambell Matthew Rutledge

Robert Johnston Henerey Willson

James Betty Wm. Rutledge

George Brandon John Harris

James Carruthers Isaac Rutledge.

Andrew Miller, William Trindle, Henry Wilson, Thos. Dill, Jas. Robinet, John Beals, were appointed viewers with power to any four to act.

This " William Wierman " mill of 1747-8 is, no doubt, the present John W. Wierman mill, which has been uninterruptedly in the family for at least one hundred and sixty years. It is on the Bermudian, about one and a quarter miles east of Gettysburg and Harrisburg State road.

The following is a petition for what after- ward became the first road from the south- east toward York. It was the last of the roads laid out by authority of the Lancaster Court :

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To the Worshipful Justices of the County of Lan- caster now sitting in the Borough of Lancaster :

The petitioners having frequent occasion to go to the town of New York (meaning the new town of York) and no roads being made amongst us, it is very difficult for your petitioners to travel, especially in the winter, for reason of the swamps and savannahs, that is be- twixt us and said town of York. Therefore, we, your petitioners, humbly crave that your worships would be pleased to grant an order for laying and making of a road from John Nelson's ferry to the aforesaid town of New York.

Therefore, your petitioners pray that your worship would be pleased to take the petition into consideration, and order your petitioners what you shall think proper, and your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall pray.

May Sessions, 1749.

Daniel Laverty John Nelson Paul Martin Alex. Nelson

John Campbell Morton McHaffey

Edward Mahon Finley Gray

Manasa Lamb James McCartley

Thomas Carson Benjamin Saylor

John Carson Daniel Johnston

William Buchannan Thomas Johnston James Anderson

Charles Caldwell

Hugh Ross William Anderson

Matthew Long

George Baughman.

The names of these petitioners are all of English or Scotch-Irish origin, except the last, which is, doubtless, German. They were some of the earliest settlers, having only been living there a few years. The petition asks for a road from Nelson's, later McCall's, ferry to York. Action was taken by the court during the May sessions of 1749, and Charles Caldwell, John Campbell, Robert Smart, William Buchannan, Robert Morton, and Nathaniel Morgan appointed to view and lay out the road. Their report was made and confirmed at the next session of the Lancaster Court. Its courses and distances nearly correspond to the present Peachbottom public road.

The honorable petition of the people, the inhabitants on the branches of the Bermudian, in Monaghan Town- ship.

To the Honorable, the Court at Lancaster, now sit- ting, we, your humble petitioners, take leave to inform you of our great disadvantage we labor under, for want of a road being made or opened from our settlement to Yorktown, it being our nighest and best way to Lan- caster and Philadelphia, our places of market, and like- wise our court. We humbly petition your court, that you would grant us an order from your court to open said road sufficient for wagons to travel between Archi- bald McAllister's mill to York, and that you would ap- point such men as you see best as prospectors and over- seers of said road. We, remembering the favors granted to us by your honors already, comfort ourselves in the hope of your granting in this favor, and we, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

April 7, Anno Domino, 1749.

John Griest Andrew Miller Henry Wilson Charles Coulson

Matthew Dill Tho. Dill WVm. Underwood John Hendricks

Thomas Petit

Caleb Hendricks

John Jesper

Edward Robbards

James Hendricks Richard Cox

John Powell

Alexander Underwood

James Petit

Jacob Beals

Edward How William Beals

Joseph Dennis

John Douglass

Samuel Cox Abraham Nesbitt.

John Brandon.

This petition being made the same

Under year that York County was formed, York the Lancaster Court deferred the County matter, whereupon a similar peti- Courts. tion, which was the first presented to the York Court upon its organi- zation after the erection of the county, was granted, and the road ordered to be opened from " McAllister's mill on the Ber- mudian Creek to the town of York." The viewers were John Beales, William Cox, John Griest, Abraham Lerew, John Lease and James Petit. This route is the one at present known as the " Shippensburg road." McAllister's mill was in the present area of Adams County. The names were all signed in well written English.

The next road in order of time From the across the South Mountains Mountains through the present area of to York. Adams County to York is that from the headwaters of the Opossum Creek southward and then east- wardly through (then) Tyrone and Read- ing Townships to York. It was petitioned for in January, 1749, by "inhabitants of Tyrone, Straban and places adjacent. who asked for a road from Victor King's mill, on Conewago, to the road leading from Pa- tapsco to Adam Forney's " (Hanover). The viewers appointed were Robert Owins, James Mc Williams, Victor King, William Proctor and John Koontz. Almost every trace of Victor King's mill has disappeared. In Howell's map of 1792 it is marked as on the south bank of the Conewago a short distance east of the mouth of the Opossum Creek, within the present limits of Straban, and east of the road from Tyrone to Hunt- erstown. When the movement became known it excited opposition, especially from Menallen Township, whose inhabitants made, in November, a formal remonstrance. They set forth that they had heard that " an order for a Grate road had been obtained which does not begin at any public or proper place or any ways convenient to the

John Lease Matthew Mellon

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

inhabitants." They further set forth that, having had a " town's meeting " concerning it. they can find nothing to the advantage of the township in having the road where it now is. They earnestly "crave a re- view." The signers were :

Robert McConaghy

John Gilliland

Robert Moor

Samuel McFeran

Walter Carson

Samuel McConaghye

Francis Beatty

Henery Thompson

Charles McBride

James Moor

James Parker

John Wright

James Smith

L. McCowin

David Watson

John Mickle

John Lorans

WVm. Moor

William Simpson

John Furgison

John Blackburn Robert Moor, jr.

Thomas Baldwin

William Dunwoody.

A review proposed a change of starting place. Instead of beginning at Charles Pid- geon's, in the mountain near Opossum Creek, it was to begin near the " Quaker meeting house in Menallen," which was then southeast of the present site of Centre Mills, where a Dunkard meeting house now stands. This change was resisted, and at the April Court, in 1750, remonstrants set forth that the road laid out from the head drafts of "Grate Conowago and Possum Creeks by William Proctor and associates to the Susquehanna was a good road, neither hilly nor swampy." They further stated that on a review " the new road laid out, vacating part of the former and start- ing near the Quaker meeting house in Men- allen Township, is carried through swamps and is stony ; and that it is not in the power of the petitioners to support it." The signers of this were :

John Morton Thomas Bracken

James Wilson Will. Young

Richard Proctor Joseph Jolly

John Gilkey John Simons

Michael Wilson John Wilson

Alexander Maghon Jesper Wilson

Thomas Morow Isaac Sadler

John Sadler

Richard Sadler.

In response to this, James Murphy, Sam- uel Deeson, Richard McAllister, John Douglass and John Griest were appointed viewers, and the road reported by them was ordered cut and cleared. The " courses and distances " of the line finally adopted have not been found, but there is every indication that the road began in the mountain, and struck the Monocacy road within a mile and a quarter of York. It ran through the

present townships of Menallen, Butler, Ty- rone, Reading, and Hamilton, by Centre Mills, Heidlersburg and East Berlin. It ran considerably north of the site of Victor King's mill, from which it is to be inferred that the " Menallen ' remonstrants were substantially successful in their struggle. As this road touched the Cumberland Val- ley several miles farther west from Carlisle than the preceding, there was not much promptness in connecting with it. And a connecting road was not ordered till 1755 and not opened until 1762. It thus appears that all the roads opened up to 1751 ran towards York: that the Potapsco road was the only one which led to Baltimore south- ward; and that the only way through this territory from Carlisle to Baltimore was by York. This continued for several years longer to be the situation in this county.

Upon the petition of Joshua Lowe and others, a road was laid out in April, 1750, from his ferry, at what is now York Haven, from Lancaster to Shippensburg. It passed through the site of the present villages of Newberry, Lewisberry and Lisburn. In early history it was a prominent route of travel. In 1794 some of the soldiers, going to quell the Whiskey Insurrection in West- ern Pennsylvania, passed over it.

In 1751, the year after Cumberland Carlisle County was formed out of Lan- Road. caster, the inhabitants in the

vicinity of Carlisle presented a peti- tion to the courts of York and Cumberland Counties. The petition reads as follows :

1751, April 25. Inhabitants of Middleton Township represent in favor of a road leading from the land laid out for Carlisle town on Letort's Spring in Middleton Township, to Wakely's (or Moore's) Gap, in the South Mountain, and thence through the said gap as far as the County of Cumberland extends.

The inhabitants of York County have in pursuance of an order of court opened a road from McAllister's mill to York and propose to have it extended through the gap aforesaid till it meet the road above mentioned and petitioned for.

That it will be absolutely necessary to have a road from the County of Cumberland to York. Your peti- tioners conceive that the above mentioned will be the nighest and most convenient that can be had for the benefit of the inhabitants in general.

Thomas Pottan James Young

James Smith Samuel Mifflin

George Ross William Edgelly

Joseph Clark James Kirkpatrick

G. E. Cowin Robert Campbell

James Biggs John Denniston

Robt. Miller James M'Leer

John Mitchell Ezekiel Dunning.

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John Calhoon, Jno. Smith, Thos. Wilson, James Wakely, James Moore, and John McKnight appointed viewers-with power to any four to act.

In January, 1752, Nathan Morgan,

Peach John Griffith, Alexander Wallace, Bottom Hugh Whiteford and Archibald Road. White were appointed to "view and lay out a road from Peach Bot- tom ferry, so called, to York." They re- ported at the June session of court that, after viewing said road, are of the opinion that there is necessity for such road; but the season of the year being so unfit for taking courses and distances, and being a very busy time for the farmers, they asked to have the return of the report made at next session of court. The same year the order was granted to open a road to York to join a road from Chanceford to same point already laid out. A temporary private road was laid out from Peach Bottom ferry to join the Ashmore ferry road, in 1749, to York under the authorities of the Lancaster

The road above mentioned, extending south from York to Smith's patented land, was declared " to be crooked and hilly, and a good wagon road was needed over more level ground." A petition was presented to court in 1765 to extend it to " the tempo- rary line toward Joppa and Potapsco." Joppa, now a small village on the Gunpow- der river, a few miles east of Baltimore, was then the most important town in Balti- more County, and the county seat.

The same year, 1752, a road was laid out from George Crogan's place, near the mouth of the Yellow Breeches Creek to Cesna's fording place by Frazer's mill, on same creek; length three and one-third miles. A road was petitioned for in 1752 to pass through Newberry and Warrington from Frazer's mill through the gap in the mountain to intersect the road leading from Rosebury's mill to York between the creeks of Beaver and Conewago. Henry Willis, Allen Robinet, John Farmer, Thomas Heald, and Joseph Bennett viewed and opened it.

Jacob Miller and sundry inhabitants in and around York petitioned for a road from his mill to York. The mill was situated about one mile northeast of York.

In 1753, the inhabitants of Warrington and Paradise secured the opening of a road

from " Christopher Hussey's mill, in War- rington, to John Lane's mill, and from thence through the Pidgeon Hills, so as to fall in the road that leads to Potapsco." Pidgeon Hills were named after Joseph Pidgeon, an English surveyor from Phila- delphia County, 'who assisted in laying off the first townships in York County. Po- tapsco is now Baltimore.

Alexander McCandless, Nathaniel Mor- gan and Hugh Whiteford, in 1753, laid out a road from Robert Morton's plantation, in Chanceford, toward Rock Run and the tem- porary line. Upon the petition of Peter Wolf and sundry persons, the Monocacy road was changed from its course in 1754, to avoid hills, at a distance five miles west from York, where it forks with the Marsh Creek road.

In September, 1754, Conrad Holzbaum, Baltzer Spangler, Henry Hendricks and Hugh Low presented to the court at York, Patrick Watson, president justice, a report Court before the formation of York County. of a road review from York, through the

townships of York and Shrewsbury to the temporary line between the provinces of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The length of this road, according to their survey, was eighteen and three-quarter miles. Begin- ning " at the court house door " it extended nearly in a due south direction. The report was confirmed.

Abraham Burkholder established a ferry across the Susquehanna in the year 1762. In 1766 he petitioned for a road from his ferry "to William Nicholson's mill, at the forks of Muddy Creek, and thence to the road leading to Potapsco." The viewers were Thomas Scott, David Kirkpatrick, John McCall, William Edgar and William Gemmill. A road had been laid from Ste- venson's ferry (now McCall's) to Read's mill, thence to Leeper's mill, about ten years before.

In October, 1765, "a bridge road was opened from Nicholas Wierman's mill to the great road leading through Warrington from Carlisle to Baltimore, and along said road to the old Friends' meeting house road and along said meeting house road unto Rev. Samuel Thompson's meeting house."

In 1767 a road was opened in Chanceford from " John Finley's tavern house to Jacob Grove's mill, lately erected."

The same year a road was opened from

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

the "Brogue tavern to Nicholson's mill at the forks of Muddy Creek, thence to tem- porary line," by David Kirkpatrick, Thomas Scott, John McCally, William Gemmill, Benjamin Johnston and James White.

A petition in 1768, of divers inhabitants of Shrewsbury and Codorus stated that "a road, formerly made by ourselves, which led from Maryland road to the mill of Christian Meckley, was stopped up by Peter Seis and others." William Ehrhart, Frederick Fishel. Michael Geiselman, Peter Runk, Killian Divinger and Moses Lawson were appointed by the court to open the road.

The inhabitants of Fawn and Chance- ford, in 1768, stated in petition, that " they needed a road from Samuel Leeper's mill, which is now fitted for merchant work, and has on hand a quantity of flour;" the road to begin "at the great road leading from York to Peach Bottom ferry; to pass be- tween Roland Huss and James Hill to said mill, and from thence to provincial line, where James Webb lives."

On motion of James Smith, Esq., on Canal behalf of Caleb Lowe and others, Road. viewers were appointed April, 1768,

to open a road from Lowe's ferry (now York Haven) to intersect the road leading from York to Carlisle." This after- ward was known as the "Canal road."

The petition of sundry inhabitants of Newberry and Dover, July, 1768, appre- hended that "a road from James Rankin's house to Great Conewago, at or near a place called the wolf pit, and from thence to a ferry on the Susquehanna would be useful." Whereupon the court appointed James Welsh, Esq., John Garretson, Sr., Henry Entzminger, Joseph Hutton, Peter Sneider, and Ellis Lewis to open the road. It was laid out in October. Its length was sixteen miles." It began at Lewisberry and ended at New Holland, on the Susquehanna.

Petitions in 1769 from a number of " Quakers of the townships of Newberry, Warrington, Huntingdon, Tyrone and Menallen, were presented for a road leading westward through the different townships mentioned, for them to pass and repass to and from their different places of worship; to begin at McGraw's mill, thence along by the meeting houses at Huntingdon (York Springs), and, Warrington, and to intersect

the road leading from Lowe's ferry to Car- lisle, at or near the Newberry meeting house." This road was opened by John Blackburn, Ellis Lewis, Charles Coleson, Robert Nelson, and James Rankin. It terminated near the present village of New- berry. A petition of sundry inhabitants of York County was presented to court, Janu- ary, 1769, for a road "for the passage of large wagons from Tate's ferry and Wil- liam Willis' mill into the great road from Carlisle to York near Widow Noblet's house, which would be some miles nearer for the Baltimore trade."

The same year a petition was presented for division of Chanceford and Windsor Townships, and from parts of both to form a new township, to be called Rossel Town- ship; not granted.

In April, 1769, the inhabitants of Hel- lam, Windsor and Chanceford requested that a road be made from Hellam Forge, at the mouth of the Codorus, across said town- ships toward Rock Run and Baltimore and join the road already laid out to John Fin- ley's tavern. Viewers were appointed and the road opened. It is still known as the " old Baltimore road."

In 1769 citizens of York and surrounding townships asked for the opening of a road in behalf of Thomas Usher and Joseph Donaldson, who, "at great expense, had erected a merchant mill on the land form- erly owned by Zachariah Shugart, near lands of David Jameson, Esq., Henry Spangler and Michael Hanks. This road would be of great advantage to the town of York. The road was opened.

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History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 19

Author: Prowell, George R. Publication date: 1907 Publisher: J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1372

Author: Prowell, George R.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1372