Does Washington Township’s ‘The Pickets’ link with Civil War?
E-mailer Steve Cashman has asked about the origin of “the picketts,” the area around the intersection of Bermudian and Conewago creeks in northeastern York County.
He understands that the name came from a Confederate encampment there in the Civil War… .
The Confederates were all over that area. But the men of George Pickett of Gettysburg fame never reached that far north.
“The Gazetteer of York and Adams Counties” gives a different spelling – “The Pickets” – and suggests the name comes from Picket Hill, an elevation of 660-680 feet where the two creeks meet in Washington Township.
This doesn’t answer Steve Cashman’s query but the name of Bermudian, unusual for these parts, has been attached to that area of Adams/York counties for years, according to the Gazetteer. An early land license locates property, “On the creek called Bermudgion, a large Northwesterly branch of great Conewago.” And Bermuda was a common name for the town of Mechanicsville, Adams County.
If anyone knows the origin of the The Pickets, please comment below.
