Welcome to the New Holland Area Historical Society
"voices from the past" special event
Local History
Come hear the stories of New Holland residents who helped to make our town great!!!
A john davis clock, theLatest addition to our collection of historical clocks
John Davis, Clockmaker
Very little is known of the life of John Davis before and after he lived in New Holland, but we can surmise several things based on early deeds and records. Most likely, he was a devout Methodist, and the first formal Methodist services in New Holland were held on his property in 1797.
Thanks to the Kauffman family for this donation.
In 1796 Davis bought property that was located east of “New Design”. His small frame dwelling was on the south side of the street. This building survived until 1959 when it was torn down to make room for the Hollander Motel. His workshop, that was probably built by the renown hatter, Philip Heitshue, was located to the west of his dwelling at 316 E Main St. This building was razed in 1885.
The other 2 clocks in our collection - to the right of the BBNB Research Room doorway, bracketing the Three Earls map - were made by Anthony Carpenter and John Esterle, both of whom trained apprentices.
We Appreciate Your Support!
Your support and contributions will enable us both preserve and publicize the rich history of the New Holland area.
new holland clarion archives
Online Copies of the Clarion Available
The Power Library site shown to the left houses digital copies of the town newspaper published from 1873 through 1950.
The papers are stored in 3 different collections based on their publication date.
The collections are shown to the left.
This link takes you to the Clarion Collection list shown to the left Individual collections are listed alphabetically, so scroll down through the list till you come to the section entitled "LancasterHistory - New Holland Clarion Newspaper"
Note
The Power Library website is not owned by or affiliated with the New Holland Area Historical Society. We do not provide any support or assistance to those wanting to utilize this resource.
Support assistance is available through the "? Help" menu found in the extreme right-hand side of the menu bar.
This resource is a real treasure trove of historical information for the New Holland area, and we hope that you enjoy your time doing some research into our history!
About Us
Current Exhibits
"The Story of Victor F. Weaver"
"The Story of Victor F. Weaver"
Visit our Current Exhibits page for a preview of the exhibits actively displayed in the museum. The most addition is an exhibit dedicated to the 125th Anniversary of the Borough of New Holland.
"The Story of Victor F. Weaver"
"The Story of Victor F. Weaver"
"The Story of Victor F. Weaver"
This book chronicles the life of Victor Weaver from the humble beginning of a Market Stand to processed poultry brands known through the Northeast. More than just a success story, the author writes about the profound impact Mr. Weaver had on employees, the town and many other organizations.
Copies of the book, hard back @ $40 and soft cover @ $20, can be purchased at the museum during regular hours, or by calling Don Horning @ 717.538.3079
"Everything Just Went Right"
"The Story of Victor F. Weaver"
"Everything Just Went Right"
Read the story of a humble Mennonite man who invented the automatic tying baler, putting New Holland on the map.
Soft cover copies of the book can be purchased for $20 at the museum during regular hours, or by calling Don Horning @ 717.538.3079
Looking for a little help from our friends
Unidentified Photos
The museum is blessed with thousands of New Holland area photos that were donated by countless supporters of our efforts to preserve our history . Many of them include some type of identification information, and others were identified my NHAHS members based on local knowledge or other photographic evidence.
But there are hundreds of interesting - and potentially historically significant - photos that we are not able to identify. The purpose of this initiative is to solicit your help in identifying these photos.
The plan is to place small batches of these pictures on the website in the Photos section, including whatever info we have for each, and providing you with a contact form where you can tell us how you can help identify these treasures. Each photo is assigned a number, and all you need to do is tell us that "photo #7 is a picture of my great grandmother Elvira's birthplace, located just east of N Railroad avenue." That's it. If you'd like to include your name that would be great.
As information is received we will update the captions for these photos, and after a reasonable amount of time (no idea what this means exactly) we'll publish the information gathered along with the contributors. Then we'll publish the next set of photos and repeat the exercise.
It's a chance for you to participate in the work of the NHAHS, and we greatly appreciate your assistance.
Thanks!
