Stories of historical interest from Historical Society of Salisbury Township, submitted by Leona Baker, president

Meet Me At The Handboards

Today, street signs are found on nearly every street corner in the United States, but at one time, only main crossroads had a post with directional arrows pointing to towns that could be reached by heading "that way." In the 17th century, English signposts had arms pointing in four directions, with the name of the town to be reached in that direction painted on each. They were called "fingerboards."

In 19th-century America, the signs on the post were often closed hands with the index finger extended, pointing to the village that could be reached by heading down that road. Hence the name "Handboards." They were usually painted white with black lettering, sometimes with the addition of mileage. By the 20th century, signs had devolved into just a narrow piece of wood with one end cut into a "V." Often there would be four or more signs on a post like the well-known signpost on the television series "M*A*S*H."

Like other municipalities in Lancaster County, Salisbury Township had its share of signposts. But perhaps the most well-known actually gave its name to the site where it stood. The "Handboards" sign was located at the corner of Springville Road (Route 897) and Ranck and Meetinghouse roads, near the East Earl Township line. In the 1800s and early 1900s, the directional signpost led travelers to Meadville, Narvon, New Holland, Cambridge and Gap. People from the area would meet at that corner to journey together to whichever town they planned on visiting. In days before telephones were common, people might have sent a postcard to announce intentions to meet "at the Handboards." In the mid-20th century, the Handboards was a designated bus stop for children of that area.

Jack Hillard is a historian whose passion is researching and recording distinctive historical sites of local interest. He has researched several sites along Ranck Road and has fashioned easily read memorial signs placed at those sites. Hillard wanted to erect a new version of that "Handboards" sign where the original had stood.

Unfortunately, there was little memory of what the signs on the post looked like. The Historical Society of Salisbury Township joined Hillard in gathering information for his plan to reconstruct the "Handboards" sign. Some people vaguely recalled that they were thin white boards with the "V" shape at one end and the name of the village painted in black. While the society reached out to the community in an attempt to tell the whole story, Hillard designed and constructed the sign that can be seen today, using what little information could be found. The reconstructed sign now proudly stands at almost the original site directing travelers on their journey. The once-famous corner is now memorialized.