The "A Town First Known as 'Willow Tree Town'" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Driving home after a visit with my Aunt and Uncle who live near the small town of Rawlinsville in Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Rawlinsville contains a hotel, restaurant, fire department and town store and is located within Martic Township.  My Aunt Lois and Uncle John have lived in Rawlinsville as long as I can remember.  The town was named after Dr. Morgan Rawlin whose name appears in the 1830 Federal Census.  Neat little area in Lancaster County where everyone knows their neighbors and is willing to do just about anything to help them.  To get to Lois and John's home, I have to drive through another town that at one time was called Willow Tree Town.  I assume by now you probably know why it is called that!  In 2010,  Willow Tree Town, now known as just Willow Street,  had a population of 7,578.  In the early part of the 20th century the main thoroughfare in town was lined with willow trees on both sides of the road for the entire length of the town.  

The historic town of Willow Street

As the town grew, the road was widened and sidewalks were installed.  To accomplish that, some of the trees had to be removed.  Over the years more and more trees were removed, since the residents didn't appreciate all the bugs, leaves and branches of the huge willow trees falling on them.  When it was decided to make Willow Street, Route 272, a four-lane highway, with two lanes running south and two lanes running north, with a few block of houses in between them, most of the willow trees became part of the history of the town.  In 1967 many residents thought the town should carry a different name, since most of the trees had been removed, but most agreed that it would be confusing to change the name of the town, so as of today the area is known as Willow Street.  It is still a lovely street as you come from the south to the north in the town, but the two lanes that carry traffic south have very few houses on them.  

The historic Hans Herr House

The town and nearby surroundings are one of Lancaster counties most historic areas with the 1719 Hans Herr House (type Hans Herr House in the white box, top left to read about it) which is considered the oldest house in Lancaster county, and the 1719 Martin Meylin gun shop which is located at the intersection of Eshelman Mill Road and Long Rifle Road.  It was here that the first known Pennsylvania Long Rifle was made.  

The Martin Mylin Gun Shop as it appears today

The Pennsylvania Long Rifle later became known as the Kentucky Rifle.  For many years Native Americans lived in the area known as Willow Street.  As Europeans began to settle from east to west, they began to take over the land that once belonged to the native Americans.  The Susquesahanox Native Americans lived along the nearby Susquehanna River.  

The Susquesahanox tribe village

They flourished in present-day Manor Township in the early 1600's and had their capital at Connadago which was located in present-day Columbia, Pennsylvania.  Disease eliminated many of the Susquesahanoxs in the late 1670s.  At first, they inhabited land in parts of Chester county, which is near Philadelphia, which later became part of Lancaster County.  On May 10, 1729, Lancaster County officially became a county.  In, or slightly before, a group of eight households settled in what today is known as Strasburg, Willow Street and West Willow.  The households had names such as Nolt, Kendig, Mylin, Herr, Bowman, Miller, Franciscus and Funk.  They were in search of land that could support farming.  When they saw the huge willow trees they knew they had found the best place for farming.  It really is a shame that all those gorgeous Willow trees had to be removed in the past just so we could drive our cars more easily from north to south.  Think how beautiful the town of Willow Street could be today if we had been better patrons of the land we occupy and not removed all those beautiful trees.  Seems we make too many mistakes in the name of progress.  Will it every end?  Not in my lifetime and probably not in your lifetime either.  So sad!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.