The "The Naming Of 'Lame Peter' Township" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Sun is shining, there is a slight breeze and the leaves have begun to change into their fall colors.  Life is Good!  And, to top all that...I live in Lancaster County, known to many as the Garden Spot of America or perhaps to some as Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  We don't have sandy beaches or fantastic mountain views or even deep canyons to explore, but we do have rolling hills with plenty of farmland and meandering rivers and streams for tubing as well as people who seem to care for each other.  At one time Lancaster County was part of Chester County which is near Philadelphia, but on May 10, 1729 it was organized as the original colony's fourth county.  Lancaster County is about 984 square miles in size and has a German name of Lengeschder Kaundi.  As of our last Census ten years ago, Lancaster County has 519,455 residents.  Lancaster County is comprised of 28 towns and cities with names such as Millersville, Strasburg, Manheim, Lititz, Ephrata, Columbia, Adamstown and Lancaster.  The county is also comprised of 42 Townships with names such as Pequea, Martic, Rapho, Donegal, Penn, Fulton, Warwick and Manheim.  

Map of Lampeter, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Another such area in Lancaster County is known as Lampeter which was one of the first areas in the county to be settled when groups of Swiss Mennnonite refugees, fleeing religious persecution, arrived here in 1710.  They were attracted by the liberal proposals of William Penn and made the hazardous voyage across The Atlantic and came to what was then literally Penn's Woods.  They settled in the vicinity of what today is known as Willow Street and Lampeter.  Easy to see why an area might have been known as Willow Street, but where did they get the name of Lampeter?  When Lancaster County was laid out twenty years later in 1729, Lampeter was one of the original townships to be formed. Then in 1841 it was split in two to create East and West Lampeter.  So why Lampeter?  It was said that it was named in honor of early resident and handicapped tavern keeper Peter Yeordya.  Apparently Peter was affectionately known as "Lame Peter."  The areas name was the joining of his name into Lampeter.  But wait!  There is also the story that tells of Welsh immigrants who also settled in the area.  They were both intelligent and influential and decided to name the area after the area in Wales where they originated...Lampeter, Wales.  Futhermore, in Welsh, Lampeter means 

"The Church of Peter or St. Peter's Church."  Today, Lampeter is an unincorporated community located in West Lampeter Township with a zip code of 17537.  Lampeter Village is one of the smallest neighborhoods in Lampeter with its main road being Lampeter Road.  What else could it be called?  And, as of 2010 Lampeter had a population of 1,669 residents.  

Artist's sketch of Lame Peter!

Now, getting back to the tavern keeper known as Peter Yeordya.  It was sometime around 1840 that a story began to circulate that the area was named in honor of early resident and handicapped tavern Peter Yeordya.  Apparently the man was affectionately called "Lame Peter."  So, it was a natural to call the area were Peter lived as Lampeter.  I'd love to have a town, village or even a street named after me.  Wait a minute...there already is a Woods Ave. and a Woods Street and as a matter of fact, an entire area that has hundreds of trees in it that is called a woods.  How about that!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.