Robert Wallace was born in Scotland in 1721 and came to America ten years later. He purchased land in what is now East Earl Township northeast of the town of Lancaster around 1761 and established a farm, country store, and tavern. Wallace designated his establishment as "the sign of the Blue Ball," which gave the name to the village that grew up around it. Robert Wallace died on December 17, 1793, and bequeathed the store to his son John Wallace (1769-1854), a long-serving elder of the Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church. Apparently in the 1790s he operated the store in partnership with one of his uncles or cousins in the Davies family. John Wallace left the business to his son, Davies Wallace (1796-1866). However, by 1854, the store was being run by the latter's sons John S., William J., and Edward D. as J.S. Wallace & Bros. They constructed a new brick store building in 1857. Adam Geist began operating the store, probably under lease, by about 1871, and was later joined by his son Everett S. Geist. The building remained in the hands of the Wallace family, and its use as a store ended in 1908. During the store's first century of existence, the surrounding area evolved from a frontier region to a well-established agricultural district mostly populated by Pennsylvania German and Scots-Irish farmers.
From the description of Account books of a family general store at Blue Ball, East Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pa., 1762-1894. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 297598992
