The Hanover Junction, Pennsylvania, railroad station in November 1863 during the Civil War. Rolling stock and trains that passed through this intersection northward from Baltimore followed tracks that led to the Pennsylvania Railroad, headed during the war by powerful businessman and politician Thomas Scott. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
When I was a kid, my grandparents being enjoyed listening to country and western singer Johnny Cash, whose star-crossed life was recently brilliantly portrayed by actor Joaquin Phoenix in the Hollywood movie "Walk the Line." Among his most popular (and haunting) songs was Folsom Prison Blues, which evokes memories of an era when the railroads were THE link between American cities and towns, and were the lifeblood of the nation's economy.
During the Civil War, the relatively young railroad industry began to come of age. It facilitated the mass logistics of moving large quantities of supplies, ammunition, war materiel, and troops to the front, and provided a transportation link for farmers, merchants, and business and social travelers. Perhaps no one has a better grasp of the critical role the railroads here in Pennsylvania played during the Civil War than native York Countian Ivan E. Frantz, Jr.
The Jackson Township resident will discuss "The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Civil War" at the monthly meeting of the York Civil War Round Table at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 in the auditorium of the York County Heritage Trust at 250 E. Market Street in York. Parking and admission are FREE, and the public is quite welcome!
