Harrisburg, Pa. : Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Date of Publication
1979.
Physical Description
ix, 305 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Notes
This book was derived from the author's PhD thesis, "Conestoga Crossroads: The Rise of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1730-1789", call number 974.815 LACI W876t.
LCHS copy inscribed by author.
"Notes and bibliographical essay": p. 257-296.
Summary
PART ONE- Concentrates on the political and administrative history of Lancaster as a borough. PART TWO- Discusses the town's economic structure and it's role as a regional marketing center and "western emporium " including a description of the structure of inland trade. PART THREE- Focuses on the economic class structure of the community, on the characteristics of it's religious life, on the social and cultural interaction between "Dutchmen" and "Engellanders" and on the role of the town as an intellectual center.
This article describes the founding of the town of Lancaster as a for profit enterprise by the Hamilton family. They owned the land and were paid rents for its use . It discusses some of the challenges they encountered in this process. It also points out that their for-profit business did not interfere with the government of the city.
