AREA HISTORY:  New Holland Village, Manchester Township, York County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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NEW HOLLAND VILLAGE – Page 613

Frederick Day, and English Quaker, made a plat of fifty-two lots and disposed of 
them by lottery, in 1804.  The town he called New Holland.  In 1814 he laid out 
an additional section of 162 lots, which in the printed deeds, was denominated 
“New Holland continued.”  The village is located on the Susquehanna River, at 
the mouth of one of the branches of the Conewago Creek, familiarly called “The 
Gut,” and about three miles from the mouth of Codorus Creek.  Some of the first 
settlers in this locality, in 1732, were Quakers, and for a time, a tract of 
land was reserved by the Penns for a meeting house.  For about thirty years New 
Holland was known as an important lumber emporium.  Teams came many miles from 
the south and west to purchase pine lumber, which was brought down the river and 
landed at this point.  In 1807, Frederick Day built a large stone house now 
owned by Jacob Lichty, who has conducted the village store since 1863.  A man by 
name of Hyder kept the first store.  New Holland became a post town named Day’s 
Landing, in 1825, with Peter Dessenberg as postmaster.  When a postoffice was 
established at Mt. Wolf, two miles distant, this one was discontinued.

Adam Wolf, Esq., was for many years a prominent justice of the peace, and had a 
large lumber yard and tannery here. Frederick Gable kept a store and owned a 
lumber yard.  Joseph Schmidt also had a lumber yard.  There were at one time 
four hotels in the town.  None have been kept since 1870.  “Silver Lake Island,” 
a famous place for shad fishing years ago, is located on the Susquehanna, near 
New Holland.  The population of this village is about 250.  In the early part of 
this century, it was supposed that New Holland was destined to become large, but 
its lumber interests ceased after the Northern Central Railway was completed.  
The cigar business is now an important industry here.

The names of the streets running at right angles with the Susquehanna, on Day’s 
draft, when he founded the town, were King, Queen, Prince, York and Market.  
Those running parallel with the river, were Water, Second, Third, Fourth and 
Fifth Streets.  It will thus be seen that plans were made for a large town.  
Frederick Day was buried in a conspicuous spot in the town and his tomb is 
marked by an unpretentious head stone, but there are not other graves near his 
silent resting place.