AREA HISTORY:  Bottstown, York County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/
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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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BOTTSTOWN – Page 520

In the year 1750, on the 9th day of August, Hermanus Bott obtained a patent from 
the honorable proprietaries of Pennsylvania, John Penn and Richard Penn, for 297 
acres of land, west of the Codorus Creek, adjoining the town of York, in the 
township of Manchester.  He was an industrious farmer, having emigrated from 
Germany a few years before and purchased a lot in York.  In 1753 he conceived 
the idea of planning a town west of York, which was then but a small village.  A 
survey was made of a portion of Bott’s tract, and about fifty lots were laid 
out.  The main highway of the town was called King Street, and was an extension 
of High Street (now Market Street) of York.  This sturdy German intended really 
to establish a town to compete with York, and in order to encourage persons to 
locate in it, offered a title to one lot of ground to any one who would agree to 
pay “a yearly quit rent of seven shillings and one penny forever, or the value 
thereof in coin current according to the exchange that shall be between the 
province of Pennsylvania and the city of London.”  The lots were sixty-five feet 
front on King Street (now West Market) and 460 feet long, crossing an alley.  
All the rights to quit rent on the south side of the street were afterward 
purchased by Mathias Smyser.  The person obtaining a lot was required “to erect 
a substantial dwelling house twenty feet square, with a good chimney of brick or 
stone, to be laid in with lime and sand and to be built within the space of two 
years from the time the deed was executed.”  Some of Bott’s deed were printed at 
the “New Printing Office of H. Miller and S. Holland at Lancaster,” and bear 
date of March, 1763.  Many of the first houses erected were of logs – a few of 
them are still standing.  Bottstown, after an existence of 130 years, finally, 
after repeated attempts and invitations, was in the year 1884 annexed to the 
borough of York.  It then had a population of about 300.  It took 100 years for 
its population to double.  W. H. Bond for many years has kept the leading store.  
At the time of the annexation, there were a number of handsome residences.