History of the Lower Windsor AreaHistory of Lower Windsor Township
Lower Windsor Township was formed in 1838 when it was divided off from
Windsor Township. [Windsor Township was established in 1758]. It
comprises about 25 square miles and slopes gently eastward towards the
Susquehanna and has many small creeks and streams that drain into the
Susquehanna. The most important drainage system is that of Cabin
Branch Creek and the Canadochly valley, which crosses the township in
an east and west direction. This was one of earliest settled regions
of our area and had some of the first colonial settlements west of the
Susquehanna. It was then called the Conejohela valley
and Canadochly is a just a corruption of this earlier
Indian name.
The earliest recorded white settlers in our area were “squatters”
from Maryland, and the Pennsylvania Archives for the year 1722 tells of Indian squaws who had gathered apples in the Conejohela valley and were about to take them home across the river to their settlement near the mouth of the Conestoga when the white “squatters” took the apples from the Indians and ‘abused’ them (one now wonders exactly what this
means). The Indian squaws complained to the authorities, which is why
we now know of this incident. The most well known squatter was
Thomas Cresap, whose fort was on the Susquehanna near the mouth of
the Cabin Branch Creek.
Eventually the population in the area grew as more and more families
moved in to settle the land and clear it for farming, and harvesting
the natural resources, particular timber and iron ore. Soon there were small communities with general stores, blacksmith shops, churches, and eventually schools. These earlier settlers and their activities left their mark on the landscape that are now reflected in place names – Klines Run, Margaretta Furnace, Snyder’s Corner, Hake’s Hollow, Craley, Forge Hill Rd, Burkholder Rd. The remnants of ore banks, old wagon roads, old foundations, mills and old homes, as well as the churches and cemeteries scattered throughout the township are part of the rich heritage of this region. History of Yorkana
The borough of Yorkana grew up around Kauffelt’s Store, which
according to Gibson (1886) had "been a center of interest and
importance in the township for more than a century." It is
indicated on the
1821 map of the county. "Kauffelt's Store was the place for the annual muster and battalion parade of militia days. These parades, like all other militia parades, were enjoyed by large and motley crowds, more intent on frolic and roystering than improvement in military discipline." In the 1870’s the store was bought J. B. Budding & Bro.
In the early 1800’s, two men, one named Miller and other Jacobs, each decided to start a town here. One place was called Millerstown and the others Jacobstown. They bought tracts of land and upon laying out their towns had disposed of the lots by a lottery. In October 1818, the Harrisburg Republican advertised fourteen lots in Jacobstown and forty lots and ten outlots in Millerstown for sale by lottery. This plan of originating a town was very common in the first part of the 19th century. The name Millersville came to be associated with this cluster of homes (maybe because Miller sold more lots that Jacobs). In the late 1870’s the name was changed from Millersville to Yorkana in large part because mail addressed to Millersville, York Co, was ending up across the river in Millersville in Lancaster County (which had was larger and had a post office since 1820 and since 1859 had been the home of the Millersville State Normal School). The name
Yorkana was recommended by Dr. J. W. Barcroft, a wealthy local
landowner. The 1876 atlas of York county shows Yorkana as a busy community with Kauffelt’s Store,
the Tannery (Beard’s Tannery), a Shoe Store, the Evangelical Church, a
School, and numerous residences. The tannery was first started about
1800 by Daniel Hengst, who sold it to Frederick Burg. It was
eventually sold to Joseph Beard, and in 1836 John E. Beard established
the business. The bark used in the tanning process was obtained from
the chestnut-oaks in the nearby woods. By 1912 the community is spread out along the Mt.
Pisgah Rd. |
