Ten or more
Native American paths (or
trails) are known to have passed through what is today Lancaster County. While none of these paths are still in existence, the routes they took were often followed by later roads, canals, and railroads.
Conestoga paths Many of these paths were connected with the
Susquehannock people, whose main village was
Conestoga (meaning
at the place of the immersed pole), in what is now
Manor Township in Lancaster County. The village of Conestoga thrived from 1690 to 1740, and was a center of trade with
settlers as early as 1696.
William Penn,
James Logan, and four colonial governors of Pennsylvania visited Conestoga. Conestoga is another name used for the Susquehannocks (primarily in Pennsylvania), while Susquehannock is used more in Maryland and points south. Conestoga was located north of the
Conestoga River and east of the
Susquehanna River, about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of the
borough of
Millersville. From the village of Conestoga, six or seven paths led in several directions. The
Great Minquas Path went east from Conestoga to the
Dutch,
Swedish, and later
British settlements in the
Philadelphia and
Chester area.
Minquas is the Dutch name for the Susquehannocks (from the
Lenape for
treacherous). The path went east by way of Rockhill (at the
ford of the Conestoga River) to
Willow Street,
Strasburg, and
Gap, then entered
Chester County. There it continued east via
Atglen,
Parkesburg, Mortonville, and Gradyville, crossed into
Delaware County and there led through
Morton and
Lima, where it could go south to Chester or east to
Darby, and finally to Philadelphia. Parts of
U.S. Route 222 and
Pennsylvania Route 741 follow the path in Lancaster County. At its eastern end, numerous branches of the path led to Chester, Philadelphia and other nearby destinations. This path was also sometimes known as the
Conestoga Path. The
Conestoga - Newport Path followed the
Great Minquas Path to Gap, where it branched off and led southeast to
Newport, Delaware (on the
Christina River).
Pennsylvania Route 41 and
State Route 41 (Delaware) follow the route of the path from Gap southeast to Newport today. The
French Creek Path led northeast from Conestoga along the Conestoga River to
Lancaster, then east to
Phoenixville in Chester County. From Lancaster the path followed the Conestoga River to Eden then left the river and went east through
New Holland and
Blue Ball, before entering
Berks County, where it passed through Morgantown. It then entered Chester County and went through
Elverson and Warwick to
French Creek, which it followed to Bucktown and finally Phoenixville (on the
Schuylkill River).
Pennsylvania Route 999 follows the course of this path to Lancaster, and
Pennsylvania Route 23 continues from there to Phoenixville. As much of this path follows the Conestoga River and French Creek, it is possible it paralleled a canoe path with a portage between these two streams. The
Blue Rock Path, according to a separate tradition, followed the
French Creek Path closely from Phoenixville west to Conestoga (and may be the same path). From Conestoga, the Blue Rock Path went west to the Susquehanna River and crossed it at a
ford south of modern Washington Boro, going west to
York County. The
Monocacy Path led west from Conestoga across the Susquehanna River to
York, then southwest to
Hanover, then into
Maryland and
Frederick there (on the
Monocacy River). From Frederick one could continue southwest to the
Cumberland Gap and
Kentucky or into
Virginia. This path was also sometimes known as the
Conestoga Path in Pennsylvania and the
Susquehanna Path in Maryland. The
Blue Rock Path was either a connector to, or extension of this path.
U.S. Route 30 to York,
Pennsylvania Route 116 to Hanover, and
Pennsylvania Route 194 to the Maryland State line follow the Monocacy Path in Pennsylvania today. The
Paxtang Path went north from Conestoga along the Susquehanna River to Paxtang (modern
Harrisburg), then mostly followed the river north to the village of
Shamokin at modern
Sunbury. In Lancaster County it went through Washington Boro and
Columbia, past
Chickies Rock, through
Marietta, Bainbridge (and the Native American village of Conoy there), and Falmouth, before entering
Dauphin County and continuing on to Paxtang. The Pennsylvania Canal and
Pennsylvania Railroad ran along the river here, and the
Norfolk Southern rail line still does. In Lancaster County today,
Pennsylvania Route 441 leads to
Royalton, Pennsylvania in Dauphin County along the path's route and from Royalton
Pennsylvania Route 230 leads to Harrisburg (formerly Paxtang). Heading north from Paxtang, the path ended at the village of Shamokin, where the Susquehanna River forks. The
Great Shamokin Path along the
West Branch Susquehanna River led to western Pennsylvania, the
Allegheny River, and eventually
Ohio. The
Great Warriors Path followed the main or North Branch of the Susquehanna River north to modern day
Wilkes-Barre and
Scranton, then north to
New York state and the Five (later Six) Nations of the
Iroquois there.
Peach Bottom paths An unnamed path led south from Conestoga along the Susquehanna River to a Native American village at modern
Peach Bottom in the southwest corner of Lancaster County. Peach Bottom is in
Fulton Township, on the Susquehanna River just north of Maryland and the
Mason–Dixon line. In addition to the path south from Conestoga, two other paths met here. The
Peach Bottom Path led west and slightly north from Peach Bottom to the village of Hayesville, in Chester County. From Peach Bottom the path went through Wakefield, Oakryn, Little Britain, Oak Hill, Tayloria, and crossed
Octoraro Creek into Chester County at Pine Grove. From there it continued west via Tweedale to Hayesville, where it connected to the
Nanticoke Path running north from
Calvert, Maryland to
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Route 272 follows the path from Wakefield to Oak Hill. The
New Castle Path ran from Peach Bottom east to
New Castle, Delaware, and was sometimes known as the
Susquehanna Path. James Logan traveled this path in 1705 to Peach Bottom and north to Conestoga on his first visit there, as did Governor John Evans.
Conoy paths From circa 1718 to 1743 there was a Native American village called Conoy (at the modern village of Bainbridge) in
Conoy Township. The village was at the mouth of Conoy Creek on the Susquehanna River in the northwest corner of Lancaster County. The
Paxtang Path ran through here, and two other paths met at Conoy as well. '''Old Peter's Road''' went from the village of Conoy (modern Bainbridge) east to the village of Downington in Chester County. The name comes from Peter Bezaillon, who had a trading post and at Conoy by 1719. The road was laid out in 1718 on Bezaillon's
bridle path, which followed an old Native American path. From Bainbridge, the path went northeast through Donegal Springs and
Mount Joy to Lancaster Junction, where it forded
Chiques Creek. Continuing east, it formed the boundary between the following sets of townships:
Penn and
East Hempfield,
Warwick and
Manheim, and
West Earl and
Upper Leacock. Fording
Conestoga River just south of the mouth of
Cocalico Creek, the path led east to Center Square, Springville, and White Horse. Crossing into Chester County, it passed through Compass, Wagontown, Siousca, and Thorndale, and reached Downington on the East Branch of
Brandywine Creek.
U.S. Route 30,
Pennsylvania Route 340,
Pennsylvania Route 897,
Pennsylvania Route 283, and
Pennsylvania Route 230 all follow parts of Old Peter's Road. For a time it was "the main artery between Philadelphia and the west". The
Conoy Path led west from modern Bainbridge across the Susquehanna River to modern
Carlisle in
Cumberland County. From Conoy the path followed the
Paxtang Path north to a ford at the Conewago Falls in the Susquehanna River, where it crossed west to
York Haven at the mouth of
Conewago Creek in York County. There it headed west and slightly north, through Newberrytown, fording
Yellow Breeches Creek into Cumberland County near Lisburn. There it led west through Bowmansdale to the village of Letort's Spring, modern Carlisle. There was a connection there to the east–west
Allegheny Path from Harrisburg to
Pittsburgh. The path is sometimes also known as the
Conewago Path and the part in Lancaster County is sometimes seen as an extension of ''Old Peter's Road''. == Highways ==