Peculiar Names: The Buck

unchartedadam

9 months ago

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Lancaster County has several towns with peculiar names. This series will examine the etymology of these curious community names. Next up: Buck.

Despite its official listing on U.S. Geological Survey maps as simply Buck, this unincorporated community in East Drumore Township is known to most Lancastrians as the Buck.

So how did this little crossroads in southern Lancaster County earn such a curious name? Why is it the Buck and not just Buck? As with many place names in the county, the answer isn’t straightforward.

One widely accepted theory is that the name comes from a 19th-century tavern that once stood on a triangle of land near what is now Route 272, across from the Turkey Hill in East Drumore Township. Called The Buck, this rustic inn reportedly featured a metal sign of a deer’s head hanging out front—serving as a much-needed landmark in an era when wagon freight rumbled over dusty, poorly marked roads. Over time, the tavern’s name became synonymous with the entire community, and The Buck was born.

But other stories complicate the tale.

Some locals believe the name derives from the steep hill north of the village (what is today Pennsylvania Route 272) where horses pulling wagons would notoriously buck—resisting the grueling climb. Still others speculate the name honors James Buchanan, the 15th U.S. president and nearby Wheatland resident, who was often called “Old Buck.”

Then there’s the tale of Abner Musser, founder of Musser’s Market, who may have done the most to preserve the “the” in the Buck. In 1925, Musser opened his store just a stone’s throw from the old tavern. Beginning in the 1950s, the grocery store launched an advertising campaign with the slogan: “Don’t Pass the Buck—Stop at Musser’s.” It was a clever nod to both President Truman’s famous phrase and the village’s quirky moniker. The slogan lived on for decades through roadside signs and billboards, further cementing the community’s unique name.

And yet, a deeper story may lie beneath the surface. One tale passed down over generations tells of a Native American hunter—possibly from the Conestoga or Seneca tribes—who killed a mighty stag near this very spot in the 1700s. According to Drumore resident Jack Carter, that event may have inspired the tavern’s name in the first place. While impossible to verify, the idea hints at the area’s deeper indigenous roots, reminding us that even a name like the Buck may carry echoes of Lancaster County’s earliest inhabitants.

Few names are spoken with more local pride than the Buck because for those who live nearby, it’s not just a location—it’s a legacy.