AREA HISTORY:  Dallastown, York County, PA

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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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DALLASTOWN – Page 720-721

This town is situated on an inclined plane, sloping toward the 
northwest, just beyond the terminus of the York & Chanceford Turnpike, 
on an eminence 656 feet above sea level and seven miles from York.  From 
the south end of the borough, an extended and beautiful landscape view 
is afforded the observer.  The fruitful and prosperous York Valley in 
all its beauty and loveliness, is laid out before him, like a grand 
panorama.  Dallastown has many new and comfortable homes, and has 
greatly improved and increased rapidly in population during the past few 
years, owing to the cigar industry.  About 200 of the citizens are 
employed in making cigars in the thirty-eight factories of the town.  In 
the year 1884 about 25,000,000 cigars were shipped to market from 
Dallastown.  Many of them, however, were made in the neighboring 
township and bought up by the dealers of this town.  J. F. Spatz, Jacob 
Sechrist, Adam Kohler and W. H. Peters are the leading shipping 
merchants of Dallastown engaged in the cigar trade.  From statistics and 
facts obtained in the revenue office at York, we are allowed the 
privilege of placing this town at the head of the list in the cigar 
industry in York County.


WHEN FOUNDED

Although the surrounding land is now fertile and productive, it was not 
so in 1841, when ex-sheriff James Peeling, now of York, purchased a 
tract of ninety-five acres of land for $500, most of which is now the 
site of Dallastown.  This tract, for many years before, had been a 
parade or muster ground for the militia, and consequently was an open 
common.  It was the northern limit of what was known as the “York 
Barrens.”  The first year Mr. Peeling owned this land he could not make 
one-half ton of hay from the entire ninety-five acres, but in the year 
1848 he sold nearly $100 worth of hay.  The land was improved by 
fertilizers.  Jonathan Minnich owned a house and a small tract of land; 
and Simon Plymire kept a hotel before the surrounding land was purchased 
by Mr. Peeling.  James Edgar kept the first store.  The town did not 
grow rapidly during its early history.  Never being regularly laid out, 
nearly all the houses are on one street, which is a mile long.  The 
population in 1870 was 287; in 1880, was 486.  Through the kindness of 
W. H. Minnich we have ascertained the present population (1885) to be 
610.


NAME 

The name Dallastown was given to it during the presidential campaign of 
1844, in honor of that eminent statesman, George M. Dallas, of 
Philadelphia, who was elected and served as vice-president of the United 
States with such distinguished honor, under the Polk administration.  Z. 
S. Shaw was the first postmaster.  He was followed by Adam F. Geesy, ex-
county treasurer; J. R. Green and William Raab, who has served since 
1878.


INCORPORATION

The town was incorporated into a borough in 1867.  F. S. Heisler was the 
first burgess.  For the year 1884, A. V. Hartman was the chief burgess.  
Councilmen – George Sechrist, David Dise, Daniel Sechrist, Henry Seeger, 
Charles Kohler and George Reidel.


BUSINESS PLACES

Besides the thirty-eight cigar factories mentioned, Adam Kohler has, for 
a number of years, kept a store of general merchandise; C. H. Keesey, 
store and hotel for nine years; Ambrose Helder, furniture store and 
undertaker.  The medical profession is represented by Dr. Lawson, an old 
practitioner, and Dr. A. P. T. Grove, of the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons of Baltimore; dentistry by J. B. Glatfelter; Z. S. Shaw and W. 
G. B. Johnson are justices of the peace.