The "East Petersburg, The Town Founded By Daniel Wolf, Pioneer Settler" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Driving home from a visit to nearby Manheim, Pennsylvania.  As I approached the small town of East Petersburg I saw the sign that welcomed me to the town that was founded by the pioneer Daniel Wolf in 1800.  

Sign entering East Petersburg from the North.

The town is just a bit more than two city blocks long, but has quite a bit of history to it.  It was in the late 1940's, when I was a child, that East Petersburg had an epidemic of typhoid fever.  The two local physicians called for the water to be tested and State health authorities found it was contaminated due to wells that were too close to sewage sources.  It was determined that the town needed a new water system and to do so, the town needed to be incorporated.  The town was incorporated as a Borough on December 20, 1946.  It's first burgess, (Mayor) was Melvin Binkley and the first council president was Virgil Spencer.  Today, East Petersburg Borough is located about three miles northwest of the city of Lancaster and has a population of about 6,200.  

The sign and logo used for East Petersburg, Pennsylvania

Route 72 is the major road that passes through the center of the borough and along Route 72 is Roots Market which is both an open air market as well as having many indoor stands.  They traditionally have been open on Tuesdays and sell produce, baked goods, arts & crafts and other items.  It would be what many of you would call a Farmer's Market.  The borough is more than 70 years old now, but the community's roots date nearly to the time of the American Revolution.  If you search a bit, you may find the farmhouse near the eastern end of the borough as well as a nearby mill that were both built before the American Revolution.  The racial makeup of the borough is about 95% white, 1% African American, 1% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Hispanic or Latino and the rest Native Americans.  Today the town is governed by a seven-person borough council and Mayor.  The Mayor is responsible for law enforcement and holds a non-voting membership in the council, but with tie-breaking and veto powers.  The first, and oldest, home in the town is the circa-1810 home of the town founder Daniel Wolf who once ran a dry goods and grocery store from his home on the southwest corner of Lemon and State Streets.  It was he who named the town Petersburg.  From the mid-1800s through 1899, the building at 1905 State Street was the Captain Lawrence Hotel and then later became a home with a butchering business in the rear.  Today the building is owned by the East Petersburg Historical Society and serves as the society's headquarters and houses a growing collection of East Petersburg artifacts that have been donated to the society.  Those artifacts include Haydn's Zug's old rocking chair and the old sign from Glatfelter's barber shop that read "I Need Your Head in My Business."

The Haydn' Zugs Restaurant on the "Square" in East Petersburg.
It was sold a few years ago and is not an office building.

The town was a friendly town and one day, many years ago, a woman disembarked at the Petersburg train station and asked for the nearest hotel.  Being that there was none, the station master directed her to Mrs. Hollinger's house.  That woman was a representative for the California Perfume Company which eventually became famous for its Avon Line.  The house, at the corner of State and Lemon, had a spacious porch which had a swing and welcomed everyone for visits.  It was two centuries after Daniel Wolf got his little town going along the Little Conestoga Creek that a Life Lion emergency helicopter staged a demonstration flight in the borough park.  Music blared while kids rode the carnival rides.  Fried-food scents ruled and dogs competed to see which one could most speedily lap up canine ice cream.  The firefighters rolled through town slinging Tootsie Rolls out of the windows of their trucks.  East Petersburg was marching on.  They sure knew how to have a great time at their annual festival.  One of those little, old towns in the United States that welcomed everyone to their town with open arms, a bit of food and a chair to sit in for a few hours of conversation.  Try it some day if you are in the community known as East Petersburg, Pennsylvania.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.