AREA HISTORY:  The Township of Manchester, 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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THE TOWNSHIP OF MANCHESTER – Page 611

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP was laid out under the authority of the Lancaster County 
Court, in 1742, by Thomas Cookson, deputy surveyor, and his assistant.  Its 
original limits are not clearly defined, but seem to have included an irregularly 
formed parallelogram extending across the north-central portion of what is now 
York county, then a portion of “Lancaster County west of ye Susquehanna.”  Some 
land, as far west as the Bermudian Creek, was taken up within the original limits 
of Manchester Township.  In 1748, its area was confined to its present territory, 
and that of West Manchester.  It then contained possibly 300 inhabitants, a 
number of cleared and cultivated tracts, and here and there a few Indian wigwams.  
The native forests were a dense growth of oak, chestnut, hickory ash, etc.  It 
then formed an irregularly shaped polygon extending diagonally from the 
Susquehanna toward the center of the county, near which it terminated in a point.  
Its length was fifteen miles and its breadth four and a half miles, with the 
“Great Conewago and Little Conewago” as its northwestern, the Codorus as its 
southeastern and the broad Susquehanna as its eastern boundary, thus being almost 
surrounded by water.  Newberry and Dover Townships were north and Hellam and 
Spring Garden, south of it.  The first settlers in the northern part of the 
township were English Quakers, but the greater portion, was settled by German 
emigrants, who soon became thrifty farmers.  In 1783, it contained 267 houses, 
218 barns, 21 mills, small and large; 10 negro slaves, 3 redemptioners, 1,465 
inhabitants, and 29, 723 acres not vacant.  The northern boundary of 
Springettsbury Manor passed nearly through the center of the original township, 
south of the 40th parallel of north latitude, which crosses the county a short 
distance south of Emigsville.  The township of West Manchester was formed from 
Manchester, in 1799, leaving within Manchester, 350 taxable inhabitants.  The 
township at present is one of the most fertile and productive in the county.  It 
contains very little woodland, and no waste land.

The northern part is within the Mesozoic sandstone region and the southern part 
in the limestone belt.  Grain of different kinds produce well, and within the 
past ten years an abundance of fine tobacco has been raised in the eastern part 
of the township.

In 1883 the number of taxable inhabitants was 835; valuation of real estate 
$1,766,464; number of work horses and mules 647, valued at $55,075; number of 
cows 802, valued at $20,050; State tax $521; county tax $6,738.  The population 
in 1880, including the borough, was 4,066.  In point of real estate valuation it 
is exceeded only by Spring Garden, and in population is third on the list, Spring 
Garden and Hopewell being ahead.