AREA HISTORY:  Rossville, Warrington Township, 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/
_______________________________________________ 

History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
_______________________________________________

ROSSVILLE – Page 667

The region of country around this village was thickly settled at the time of the 
Revolution.  The town is named after William Ross, who owned the house now the 
property of Henry Gardner, and also a tannery near by.  The name was given to the 
place in 1815, when the postoffice was established here, and Samuel Smith, uncle 
of William Smith, druggist of York, became first postmaster, and kept a store.  
In 1822 his store and Alexander Underwood’s tavern were burned.  The house now 
owned by Matthew Spangler was used as a hotel for more than half a century.  In 
early days this was a prominent stopping place on the route between York and 
Carlisle.  There is no hotel in the entire township now.  Michael Wollet became 
postmaster in 1830.  W. L. Gardner for a number of years conducted a mercantile 
business here, and was succeeded in 1884 by George Smith, both of whom were 
postmasters.

John C. Nesbit, who died near Rossville a few years ago, was a mathematician of 
more than local note.

The tannery owned by William Ross was greatly damaged by the flood of Beaver, 
Creek for a description of which see article of page 476 in this work.