1908 Map of New Holland

About this map

Earl and Leacock townships anchor this detailed survey of Lancaster County’s agricultural heartland. The landscape is defined by a dense network of early settlements with unique local identities, including Intercourse, Bird-in-Hand, and Blue Ball. These communities are connected by historic thoroughfares like the Harrisburg and Downingtown Turnpike and the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. The map reveals a highly developed rural infrastructure of the era, marked by dozens of one-room schoolhouses such as Metzler School and Good School, and central religious sites like Heller Church. The winding courses of the Conestoga River and Cocalico Creek dictate the placement of early mills and farms, while the Pennsylvania RR and Philadelphia and Reading RR lines reflect the region's integration into the broader industrial economy of the early twentieth century.