Results tagged “Shrewsbury Township” from York Town Square

This portrait of Gifford Pinchot hangs in his namesake state park in northern York County. A recent York Daily Record/Sunday News story - Pinchot was Teddy Roosevelt's 'conscience' on conservation - on a new book about Pinchot helps explain the conservationist's place in history. (See additional photo below.) Also of interest: First Pinchot Road in York County example of Great Depression-era stimulus project and York native, Pa. Gov. George Leader cleared dam plan and Local county and state parks: York County's best idea?

From the mailbag and Web: A mixed bag of links to a bit of everything around York County:

An recent e-mailer bought a feedback marked Hespenheide & Thompson Feed Mill at an antique mall in Maryland.

Virginia Selak's efforts to learn more about the mill on the Web was not particularly successful, other than the fact it operated at Beaver and North Streets in York, Pa.

"I always thought it was the former owners of the Ohio Blenders Company," she wrote.

In light of the ongoing demolition of the silos to make way for the Northwest Triangle, Virginia wanted to check her accuracy.

Was Ohio Blenders formerly Hespenheide & Thompson? she asked.

And then she added:

"I hung the feed bag on my wall in my kitchen."

Comment below if you can help this e-mailer.

- More neat stuff below. -

Ammon Stolzfus, 37, of Quarryville, Pa., picks up the latest issue of Cruise Letter, a newsletter made 'By Cruisers For Cruisers,' outside the Markets at Shrewsbury in southern York County. In this 2007 York (Pa.) Daily Record/Sunday News file photo, Stolzfus was working at the outside booth for Penn Dutch Kitchen during Friday Cruise Nights. When asked if he ever checks out the cars himself, he told the newspaper there's never any time. Background posts: Who was Norman Wood (of bridge fame)?, Horse, buggy, one-room school make county comeback, Amish: 'We are making a commitment to forgive'

The Amish, commonly associated with the east bank of the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, are seen more and more in southeastern York County. They also can be seen at the Markets at Shrewsbury, a house of vendors along the Susquehanna Trail in Hametown, Shrewsbury Township.

The so-called Pennsylvania Dutch church people - German Reformed and Lutherans - mostly pioneered in York County. The Amish, different from the church people in their practice of baptizing adults among other doctrinal distinctions, settled among similar believers in Lancaster County.

So, many York countians, even Pennsylvania Dutchmen, are not that familiar with the Amish... .

This view in Manchester Township is taken from a development, crosses farmland and runs into more development. Farmland preservation is taking hold, although non-farm use of land surpassed agricultural use 25 years ago. (See additional photo below.) Background posts: A York County story: Sprawl leaves problems in its wake and Demolished Red Lion Grange Hall still tells tale of changing York County and From Meadowbrook Mansion to York County farmhouse and All farm & fields posts from the start.

YorkCounts correctly believes farmland preservation is a key quality-of-life indicator in York County.

"York Countians value open space as a matter of principle and honor farmland in concert with our heritage," the coalition stated in its recent report. "Preserving farmland means protecting not only the agricultural sector of the economy, which is still vibrant in York County, but also the very look and feel of the place where we live."

Fortunately, YorkCounts' stats show a trend line of acres of York County farmland gaining protection faster than population is growing... .

William Solomon, owner of Pin Oak Lane Farm in Shrewsbury Township, is seen with Deposit Ticket in 2004. Deposit Ticket's offspring earned $1.4 million during the year. Pin Oak was the birthplace of 1992 Kentucky Derby winner Lil E. Tee (see photo below). Background posts: Glen Rock hilltop farm: 'You cannot stay stressed here for long' and Wiki profiles eight with national status bearing Hanover roots and Hames made in Shrewsbury Township's Hametown fueled early American horsepower and Two ornate mansions that Hanover Shoe built.

York County ranks third in the state behind Chester and Lancaster counties for the greatest number of racehorses, a Penn State researcher said a few years back.

"You don't have a racetrack in the county," the researcher said. "It's a bedroom community for those who do."

Bedroom community, yes.

But one of those horses who lived here and left will always have a York County birthplace in its biography.

That's Lil E. Tee, 1992 Kentucky Derby winner, who was put down this week.

These excerpts from a York Daily Record/Sunday News/AP story (3/24/09) tell about this first Pennsylvania-bred horse to win the Derby:

For years, a hame was displayed on a sign in Leon Saubel's front yard in the Shrewsbury Township (Pa.) village of Hametown. The display has been taken down. Background posts: Codorus collector exhibits collection of conveyances - wheels and sleighs and 'I didn't know a peach tree from an apple tree, but we learned quickly.' and Trees commemorate World War I I vets.

In putting up the recent post on a Hametown one-room school and its upcoming reunion, it occurred to me that viewers might not know how the school's host village received its name.

Hametown between Shrewsbury and Loganville on the Susquehanna Trail was a major center for the making of hames.

Hames, along with collars and traces, form the pulling part of a horse's harness. (Other parts of a harness - a bridle, for example - relate to guiding the horse.)

J. Emory Seitz, whose great grandfather founded the village's hame-making factory circa 1850 defined a hame in a 1970 letter: ...

Phyllis Chisler's rendition of Hametown School serves as the focal point of the cover of Joseph D. Boose's book on the one-room school. The painting was entered in the York County Painter's contest of York County one room schools in 1963. Background posts: The Outhouse Rules - York County, circa 1935 and Northeastern York County's Paddletown: Children paddled back and forth to visit grandma and One-room school reunions preserve educational culture of thousands of York countians.

Gov. Rendell has called for the state's 500 districts to implode into 100.

This is not the first time a call for school consolidation has gone out.

In post-World War II York County, 32 districts merged into 15, according to the booklet "York County: An Overview."

What actually happened in the 1950s when all this consolidation took place?

Roland F. Seitz (1867-1946) was a York County, Pa., native and composer of marches who is remembered today. One of the pieces he wrote and arranged, 'Grandioso March,' appears on the 'Friday Night Lights' soundtrack. Background posts: Long Level and Pleasureville fielded bands?, York County (Pa.) community bands played on and The night the furnace 'blew'.

Roland F. Seitz is internationally known as the "Parade Music Prince".

His "Grandioso," "Salutation" and "Brooke's Chicago Marine Band" are well-known pieces.

He's an achiever may be better known nationally than in his native York County, where he grew up on a Shrewsbury Township farm.

That said, local community bands continue to play his pieces... .

Ginger Parker is a different type of York County barn owner. She uses her barn, located on a high point near Glen Rock, to breed show horses. Here, her is the inside-out view of Parker in the barnyard. Background posts: Star Barn's relocation a plus, even if not in York County and 'An old bank barn with so much character'.

Hanover Shoe Farms put horse breeding on the map in York County.

Most recently, Donato Hanover, then stabled at his birthplace in Hanover, won harness racing's 2007 Horse of the Year honors.

And it was 16 years go that Pin Oak Lane Farm in Shrewsbury Township gained the national spotlight as birthplace of Lil E. Tee. That colt was the first Pennsylvania-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby... .