Manor Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manor Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Township
Mann's Creek
Map of Lancaster County highlighting Manor Township
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Lancaster
Settled	1719
Incorporated	1730
Government
• Type	Board of Supervisors
Area
• Total	48.62 sq mi (125.92 km2)
• Land	38.33 sq mi (99.28 km2)
• Water	10.28 sq mi (26.63 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,920
• Estimate  (2021)	21,954
• Density	541.47/sq mi (209.06/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code(s)	717
FIPS code	42-071-46992

Manor Township is a community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It's located in the west-central part of the county. In 2020, about 21,920 people lived here.

History of Manor Township

Early Days and Native Americans

Manor Township gets its name from the "Manor of Conestoga." This large area was first mapped out for William Penn in 1719. Some people think Penn might have visited this land even earlier, before 1690.

At that time, the land belonged to the Susquehannock tribe. They were the largest tribe in the Susquehanna Valley. Their main community was in the Turkey Hill area. The Quaker government, led by William Penn, set aside a big piece of land for them. This land stretched from the Little Conestoga Creek to the Susquehanna River.

The Susquehannock people had lived on this land for a long time. Their ancestors were the Conestoga Native Americans. Many of them were Christian. For decades, they lived peacefully with their European neighbors. They traded handmade goods, hunted, and received food from the Pennsylvania government. The "Manor of Conestoga" was about 16,000 acres. It was mostly flat, well-watered land with rich soil.

The French and Indian War and Its Aftermath

Before the French and Indian War, many parts of Pennsylvania were not settled by Europeans. After the war, new settlers, often called "The Paxton Boys," moved onto land that had been promised to Native Americans. They sometimes broke earlier agreements.

Reverend John Elder was a leader of these settlers. He was known as the "Fighting Parson." He even kept his rifle in the pulpit while giving sermons! Elder helped organize the settlers into a mounted militia (a group of citizen soldiers). They called themselves the "Pextony boys." They claimed that Native Americans often attacked their homes.

The Conestoga Massacre

Even though there had been no attacks from the Susquehannock or Conestoga tribes in the area, the Pextony Boys believed the Conestoga were helping their enemies. On December 14, 1763, a group of these frontiersmen attacked Conestoga homes. This happened near what is now Millersville. They burned the cabins and killed almost all the Native Americans there. Only 16 survived.

The government then started an investigation. The new governor, John Penn, offered a reward for catching the Pextony Boys. Penn placed the remaining sixteen Conestoga people in a safe place in Lancaster. However, on December 27, 1763, the Pextony Boys broke in. They murdered the remaining six adults and eight children. After this second attack, the government offered a new reward of $600. But the attackers were never identified.

Today, Manor Township remembers the murdered Native Americans. Its official logo shows a Native American Chief in a full headdress with the date 1763 below it.

Growth and Industry (1846-1973)

For the next 100 years, the township grew. Large farms were divided into smaller ones for growing families. In 1846, the iron industry came to Manor Township. The Iron Works factory was built in the village of Safe Harbor. This factory gave jobs to many people. It mainly produced T-shaped rails for railroads.

When the Civil War came close in 1863, Governor Curtin asked every able-bodied man to join the defense of Pennsylvania. People from Manor Township and Millersville gathered at Safe Harbor. The threat to Lancaster County ended when the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge was burned. Also, General Lee's army was defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg.

By 1880, about 4,000 people lived in Manor Township. From the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, the township was famous for its tobacco crops. Farmers here grew more tobacco than any other township in Lancaster County. As the area grew, churches and schools were built. The railroad along the western edge of the township helped new factories develop. These included a woolen factory and a match factory near Safe Harbor. There was also an implement factory near Millersville. In April 1930, construction began on a dam for the Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation. It was finished in just 20 months.

In 1973, Washington Boro officially became part of Manor Township. Most of Manor Township is still rural and used for farming. The soil here is considered very fertile, some of the best in the United States. Most of the new buildings and homes have been built in the northeastern part of the township.

Geography

Manor Township covers a total area of about 48.62 square miles (125.9 square kilometers). Of this, about 38.33 square miles (99.28 square kilometers) is land. The remaining 10.28 square miles (26.63 square kilometers), or about 20.70%, is water.

Some of the smaller communities and neighborhoods in the township include:

• Manor Ridge
• West Lancaster
• West Ridge
• Windom
• Washington Boro
• Central Manor
• Letort
• Indian Town
• Creswell
• Highville
• Pittsburg Valley
• Part of Donerville

Population Information

In 2000, there were 16,498 people living in Manor Township. There were 6,464 households and 4,699 families. The population density was about 427.9 people per square mile.

About 31.4% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (62.3%) were married couples living together. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals. And 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The average household had 2.53 people.

The population was spread out by age:

• 24.0% were under 18 years old.
• 7.3% were from 18 to 24 years old.
• 28.6% were from 25 to 44 years old.
• 24.6% were from 45 to 64 years old.
• 15.4% were 65 years old or older.

The average age in the township was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were about 95.9 males.

The population grew to 19,612 by the 2010 census. By 2020, it reached 21,920 people. The township continues to grow and maintain its character.