As with other places in Pennsylvania, the early history of York shows a mixture of English, Scotch-Irish, and German settlers, along with a nearby Amerindian community. In 1741 the Quaker William Penn commissioned a survey for what would soon become the town of York. Named after an ancient British city, York as well as nearby Lancaster reflect the use of place names from the North of England, which is where many Quakers came from to settle in Pennsylvania as well as in New Jersey. The Golden Plough Tavern at left dates back to the 1740's (the first owner being a German immigrant), and its architecture shows how medieval building traditions came with settlers across the Atlantic.