Stage coaches and Conestoga wagons were especially useful for public transportation and to transport merchandise. In 1876, the railroad reached New Holland, coming west from Honeybrook (Chester County). In 1901, the trolley was establi-shed along the center of Main Street in New Holland. The trolley came east after leaving Lancaster, went through Leola, into New Holland, continuing on to Blue Ball, and finally traveled to Terre Hill.
Telephone wires were installed around 1881, and the electric street lights were added along Main Street around 1904, after years of using kerosene lanterns.
New Holland was incorporated as New Holland Borough in 1895. At that time, it boasted of a small town which derived it's water from springs in the Welsh Mountains.
The fire company began on Railroad Avenue in 1897, and was first named the New Holland Hook and Ladder Company. The fire company started with a four-wheeled hook and ladder wagon, ladders, pull-down poles, buckets, etc. The total start up costs for the fire company was $150.00.
Some of the first proprietors were from agricultural upbringings and looked for ways to help farmers increase yield, while spending less time in the field. On August 1st, 1884, Peter E. Shirk started Blue Ball Machine Company. In 1909, Mr. Shirk invented the Self-Propelled Sickle Bar Mowing Tractor which greatly improved mowing capabilities for farmers. A.M. Zimmerman served his apprenticeship at Blue Ball Machine where he learned much of his skill. In 1895, A.M. Zimmerman decided to open his own repair shop for farm machinery. Within a short time, Zimmerman invented the "hit and miss" gasoline engine, the New Holland feed mill, and the rock crusher, all of which became widely used. Around the 1940s, Edwin Nolt invented the Automatic Hay Baler, which revolutionized grassland farming and increased business for New Holland Machine Co. The business grew tremendously throughout the 1940s-50s. Sperry Rand Corp. bought New Holland Machine Co. and helped to establish it in the marketplace as a world-wide producer of agriculture equipment. Zimmerman's company became a prime segment of an international multi-billion dollar conglo-merate now called CNH (which stands for CASE/New Holland). Today, CNH is one the largest producers of hay balers in the world.