‘The thrifty and prosperous town’ of Hallam: The boroughs of York County, Pa., series, No. 5
Ken Campbell honors Army Spc. Martin Kondor of Lower Windsor Township, Pa., who died while serving in Iraq in 2004. Kondor’s death prompted renovations to Hallam’s borough’s war memorial in 2008. Also of interest: Hallam’s New Year’s shoe drop: Brings York County’s Haines Shoe House to new heights and See video of shoe (for New Year’s drop) under construction. and Brook Leaf Love Nest tree house known as Hellam honeymoon spot
Fifth in a series of occasional posts about York County’s 36 boroughs … .
There’s a lot to say about Hallam borough.
Hallam is often confused with its older brother, Hellam Township. To understand why the spellings vary, visit: Why are Hallam Borough and Hellam Township spelled differently?
It’s a neat little borough lining the old Lincoln Highway, now 462… .
It’s the nearest town to the Haines Shoe House, a former Lincoln Highway roadside attraction, and an orchard in the vicinity first produced the York Imperial Apple.
And it just lost its post office, as part of U.S. Postal Service belt-tightening measures.
Its location as a large village between Wrightsville and York – and the largest in Hellam Township – helped put it on the map. In time, the railroad and trolley joined the highway in linking Hallam to the outside world.
Hallam, actually, has been been around for decades as a village named Hellam, but only has been incorporated as a borough since 1908.
As an old place, it’s home of the one of York County’s oldest residences, the Martin Schultz house.
Speaking of residences, Hallam is a little different from many other of York County’s boroughs.
It’s growing.
The York Daily Record/Sunday News reported in 2007 that the borough has more than doubled in size this decade. The Buttonwood subdivision, made up of 550 garden apartments and townhouses, sparked the growth.
What others say about Hallam: Historian George Prowell wrote in 1907, a year before Hallam incorporated:
“The central point of interest in this township is the thrifty and prosperous town of Hellam. It is situated in the heart of Kreutz Creek Valley, along the trolley line and the turnpike, which extends from York to Wrightsville.”
Population in 2000 – 1,532. (York County census numbers.) Its projected population was 2,790 on 2006.
Incorporated: May 25, 1908. (York County founding dates.) It’s the fourth newest borough, after Jacobus, Yorkana and Mount Wolf
To learn more: Kreutz Creek Valley Preservation Society.
Hallam’s main street, the Lincoln Highway, now Route 462.
Also of interest:
Visit York County towns for past posts on York County’s boroughs.
Archives:
– All York Town Square posts from the start. (Key word search by using “find” on browser.)
– Of course, you can always search for York Town Square posts on Google. For example, search for yorktownsquare and Hallam and you get this.
