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3200 Farmtrail Road   York, PA 17406-5699 |  Phone: (717) 764-4646  |  Fax: (717) 767-1400  |  Email: info@mantwp.com

About Manchester Township

A Brief History by Catherine Deardorff in 1976

The Township of Manchester, deriving its lineage from the Duke of Manchester, England was laid out in 1742 by Thomas Cookson. Mr. Cookson was a representative of the Lancaster County Courts, because at that time York County was a part of Lancaster County. The township extended from the Susquehanna River on the east, to the Bermudian Creek on the west; and from the Conewago Creek on the north to Springetts Manor on the South. The length was fifteen (15) miles and approximately four and one half (4 ½) miles in width. In the entire township there were 300 inhabitants. The first settlers were English Quakers. Later the German immigrants settled in the township and established it as an important agricultural community.

Did You Know?

  • In 1783, there were 1,465 inhabitants in Manchester Township. There were 267 houses, 218 barns, 21 mills and 29,793 tilled acres of land.
  • In 1799, West Manchester Township was formed from part of the western portions of Manchester Township
  • In 1864, the village of Liverpool (now known as Manchester Borough) was incorporated in the eastern section of Manchester Township ( This is where the road known as the Liverpool Turnpike got its name)
  • In 1883, the township was resurveyed and East Manchester Township was officially formed leaving Manchester Township approximately the same size (16.85 square miles) as it exists today.
  • Manchester Township is classified as a township of the second class of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and as such operates under the authority derived from the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code.
  • Manchester Township is governed by an elected five (5) person board of supervisors, with the members being elected at large.
  • Manchester Township population estimate as of December 31, 2007 was 16,670. The 2000 official census showed 12,700 persons.

Manchester Township Historical Society (MTHS)

Manchester Township Historical Society has been established to preserve and document the history of Manchester Township in York County, Pennsylvania. Their mission is to gather information from any available records along with individual personal interpretations of township history. Further, we disseminate historic information to the public in a useful and interesting manner including publications, workshops, and seminars.

You may contact the historical society at ManTwpHistory@gmail.com

or visit their web site: www.ManTwpHistory.com

Manchester Township History Profiles

Download PDF documents below.