Results tagged “World War II” from York Town Square

Milkweed pods are opening about now around York County, Pa. They're largely ignored nowadays, but in World War II they were coveted. Also of interest: All World War II posts from the start and World War II torpedo, bomb loader, made in York, Pa., turns up in Tennessee museum and Explosions heard around York County after World War II-era 'experts' give canning advice.

For years - decades - York Daily Record/Sunday News photographer Bil Bowden has captured visual moments in and around York County.

In the last post, his work is displayed after he visited remote Wildcat Falls along the river road, north of Wrightsville.

Now he has grabbed a milkweed pod opening.

Of course, there is a story from history - World War II, to be specific - surrounding this little-noticed plant, and my "In the Thick of the Fight," gives a summary:

Ball Mason jars, around for 125 years, can be used for many things. In this Kansas City Star photo, tea lights flicker in the jars. In fruit- and vegetable-rich York County, Pa., the jars remain staples for canning, their use for decades. Background posts: 21st-century Victory Gardens might morph into Stimulus Gardens and 20 questions and answers to prove your York County WWII smarts and Pennsylvania Dutch-speaking York County residents often conversed with German POWs and Jamaican fruit pickers worked York County orchards in World War II .

Five brothers named Ball started production of fruit jars in 1884, with John Mason's 1858 invention in mind.

Three years later, they moved their plant to Muncie, Ind., and their Ball Mason jars became a standard part of American homes.

This 125th anniversary of the jar brings to mind time of a government snafu when canning was most needed - the days of World War II... .

This York Corporation worker had a little fun painting a devil's mask on his hood. (To view the face behind the desk, see photo below.) Background posts: 'Little Johnny' called for Allies in World War II and The bomb: 'And yet it stopped the war' and Nazis murdered downed airman from York County, Part IIII.

York's George Anderson made America laugh during the dark days of World War II.

He donned a York Corporation welder's hood bearing a devil's face.

And someone snapped a photo.

The image then appeared in about 700 U.S. newspapers during the war... .

This Grandpa' s Knob wind tower in Vermont has links to York County. Background posts: 20 questions and answers to prove your York County WWII smarts, Who were York County's most influential citizens? - Part I and How come few in York know about S. Morgan Smith anymore?

This blog has featured several posts on York pastor-turned-entrepreneur S. Morgan Smith, his company, his family and his church.

One of his company's successor's, Voith Siemens, is best known today for its water turbines - massive machinery that equip the world's largest hydropower dams.

York Sunday News columnist Gordon Freireich shows (12/14/08) the company stretched from waterpower to wind before windmills became popular in America as an alternative energy source:

This trolley in York's Continental Square is shown in the last year that such electrified cars ran in York County. York County's trolley system was already shaky entering into the Great Depression and did not make it through the 1930s. Background posts: York-area picture book not your typical coffee table publication, Smoketown a popular York County name in a century ago, and It couldn't happen in York County? Women were trampled in Depression-era labor unrest.

York County is probably no different than many heritage-minded places in trying to separate out areas in which it is historically different or even world famous.

In a previous post, Did York's Thanksgiving proclamation indeed create America's first Thanksgiving?, I explored one such claim.

I tried to give context to the claim that the first national thanksgiving occurred in York during Continental Congress' visit here. The summary point on this one is that no national consensus exists that recognized this local claim.

Just by way of contrast, a consensus can be found that the first battle of the American Revolution occurred in the Lexington-Concord outside Boston.

In a York Sunday News column (12/7/08), I dealt with another local notion: The Great Depression pinched but drew no blood in York County... .

R.R and Blanche Chronster Vanderer were living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. At that time, Blanche Vanderer, a York County native, had been a Hawaiian resident for many years. (See video below of a 2008 Pearl Harbor observance in York County, video by Paul Kuehnel of the York Daily Record/Sunday News). Background posts: Pearl survivor: 'We need to prevent attacks of that nature', Giving news, sports junkies their fix and Bataan survivor persevered as POW.

"We were so used to planes in the air and gun shooting that I always said we would never know the real thing if it would ever happen," Blanche Vanderer wrote from Waikiki after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

The York native's letter of events on Dec. 7, 1941, appeared in her hometown The Gazette and Daily about a month later, delayed while the censors worked through their stack of outgoing correspondence.

A sampling of other observations:

These distinguished gentlemen served as the board of directors of Delta's Peoples National Bank in 1930. The Depression was hard on banks in York County, too, as several rural banks failed. Charles Arthur Bloomfield gave this scorecard for bank failures in York County during the Depression: eight failures and nine reorganizations. Background posts: Events in 1777 helped tip Revolution toward patriots, Easter stories of sacrifice & selflessness and Bad economy turned York Safe and Lock toward lucrative defense work.

Tough economic times are taking some of the excitement away from today's Thanksgiving festivities.

Some of those facing the tough end of the economy might feel that there's no way out.

History helps show us that we've faced gloomy times before as a nation and have come out the other end generally for the better.

Consider the points made in this Thanksgiving Day editorial (11/26/08) in which I reflected on a moment when the world seemed to be piling on:

This strange site greeted motorists and other observers recently in southeastern York County. Background posts: Black soldiers from York County served in 'Glory' unit , Pentagram, 666 markings desecrate church and Stewartstown's historic rail station: 'Hopefully, we get things going soon' .

New Park's Jim Marsteller, has provided another visual treat.

Using his trusty Nikon, he captured a old prop plan on a flatbed truck.

"Not real sure where this plane is going, but have a good idea," Marsteller wrote in an e-mail... .

Russell Moser with Kinsley Industrial directs the move of a 1942 Model 40 locomotive engine into York's Agricultural and Industrial Museum in 2004. According to the York County Heritage Trust, the 44-ton, General Motors-built engine was used during World War II to transport bomb casings. The trust recently unveiled a speakers series called "Saturday Morning." Background posts: One image illustrates two long-neglected subjects in York area , Don't know much about York County history? and WW II air raid siren: 'The plan is to get it to work'.

Those looking for free regular presentations on issues touching on York County history have another opportunity the second Saturday of each month.

The York County Heritage Trust is sponsoring a series called "Second Saturday." ...

Ron Trout was just a kid when Camp Stewartstown, next to the Presbyterian Church in that southeastern York County community, operated in the summers of 1944 and 1945. The camp formerly stood in and around the park's ballfield, in background. Background posts: Jamaican fruit pickers worked York County orchards in World War II , Story revives memories of oft-forgotten York County POW camp and German POWs: 'They worked cheaper than We did'.

Clifton Kehr (clkehr@juno.com) persisted through my World War II talk at York's Lutheran Village/Sprenkle recently.

He then via e-mail shared some insight about German prisoners of war, housed in Camp Stewartstown to pick fruit for two summers... .

Rickey Cox shows a model of a planned memorial to honor Vietnam War veterans at a York Revolution game in 2007. Dallastown sculptor Lorann Jacobs designed the model and is shaping the monument. Background posts: Of local Jewish WW II group: 'It's a skeleton post. I'm it.', War memorials stand proudly in towns throughout York County, and Wrightville's overlooked attractions.

York County's Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee is looking for a few good men - and women.

While fund raising for a Vietnam Memorial at the York Expo Center continues, the committee is putting forth plans to unveil the statue.

Committee members are looking for vets from the Vietnam War-era - circa 1962-1975 - to extend invitations to the unveiling ceremony... .

Littlestown's Michael Dinterman is a recent casualty of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Background post: York County historical war deaths top 1,000, York County Vietnam marker funding at half-way mark; looking for more and Neglect, racism undid all-black 24th in Korean War

Word came in this week, just days before the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, that a young soldier from Adams County, Michael Dinterman, died in Afghanistan.

All together, more than 20 military men with ties to York and Adams counties have died in uniform since terrorists struck on American soil... .

Nellie Scott, far left, is seen with other nurses waiting to board a train to treat wounded military men in Italy in World War II. Background posts: A short test of your women's history knowledge, Civil War nurse: 'Dogs of war in our midst' and 'Her words helped win the war'.

She might have been the first Army nurse from York County to enlist in World War II.

That was Nellie Scott's reputation during her lifetime and after death, which came Aug. 31... .

This is a typical ration book ubiquitous in York County and America during World War II. The books were a common sight at York's former South Duke Street city hall, put in use for defense purposes. Background posts: The bomb: 'And yet it stopped the war',
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge celebrates quiet birthday and 20 questions and answers to prove your York County WWII smarts

Over at Windows into York, fellow blogger Scott Butcher moves along the discussion about York's city halls.

In a previous York Town Square post, a reader had asked about where York's government met in the 1700s... .

This box set features star and former York countian John Baer, top right. Background posts: East Yorker David Levin became exemplary elder, Actor John Baer among achievers in York High's Class of 1941 and Pearl survivor: 'We need to prevent attacks of that nature'.

The York County Heritage Trust will soon receive an unusual artifact - a box set of the early TV series "Terry & the Pirates."

John Baer, William Penn High School Class of 1941, starred in the series.

In addition to the local connection, the series played on a historical theme.

Here's what the jacket to the box set says: ...

The Murals of York can be used as artifacts to tell a story about the York area. Pictured here is the York Fair mural on the side of the East Market Street parking garage across from the Yorktowne Hotel. There's a certain irony of this particular mural as a celebration of agriculture being located on the side of the garage, overlooking a parking lot. For the last 25 years, York County farmland has been gobbled up to provide housing for commuters from Maryland and elsewhere. Background posts: 20 questions and answers to prove your York County WWII smarts, Resources for York/Adams history junkies increasingly posted on Web, 20 questions and answers to prove your York County smarts, Part III.

When about 20 York County teachers became my students in a recent Millersville University summer continuing education class, I cast about for tools make local history come alive.

I put together a true/false quiz designed to summarize some of the themes of my two-hour primer. (I used it more as a mental execise than a test.)

See how you do, and don't be surprised if my answers resemble sound bytes. Follow the links to go deeper:

This World War II air raid siren sat atop the Yorktowne Hotel in York for years. York County Heritage Trust preservationists will soon begin work to restore it to working order. Background posts: Air raid siren discovered atop Yorktowne Hotel, York County stood firmly behind Allies on all fronts in World War II and Unusual valve gave steam whistle prominence in World War II.

Preservationists eyeing the rusty air raid siren that sat atop the Yorktowne Hotel for 65 years believe the air raid siren was never fired up for the real deal.

Indeed, no account exist of enemy flyovers above York County... .

York County's borough of Windsor shortened its name from the Windsor Township village of Windsorville when it was incorporated in 1905. The sleepy town today bustled 75 years ago with trolley traffic and cigar factories. Background posts: York County cigars: 'They contained a vast amount of nicotine', That's Windsor Park, not Windsor ... and Research offers insight into York County's trolley.

A statement in Windsor borough's history book "Windsor Borough, The First One Hundred Years" caused me pause: "The town is dotted with stately old houses that may appear to be miniature castles."

Castles? In Windsor, that younger valley-dwelling brother of hillside neighor Red Lion?

The comfort stations under York's Continental Square have historical origins. Background posts: Foustown now a ghost town: Raid there once netted 300 barrels of quality firewater, Brewery profits produced landmark West York mansion, 'Good grief, how long has that pool been here?'

Tourists looking at downtown York's many sites may wistfully view winding steps leading to the closed-down Continental Square comfort stations.

Up to 1978, these underground restrooms, nearing their 80th birthday, were consistently open.

Since then, they've been closed, opened and then mostly closed, depending, in part, on the financial condition of the city.

But these restrooms are grounded in history... .

On the evening of Aug. 14, 1945, York County residents joined a massive national V-J celebration, marking the war's end. The largest county assembly occurred in York's Continental Square. Here, holding a special V-J edition are, from left, L. Allen Wolfgang, Richard E. Wolfgang and Lloyd E. (Pud) Wolfgang. Paul S. Wolfgang, who provided this photo, is at far left. Background posts: The first in (World) War (II), Perhaps the last in (World) War (II), 20 questions and answers to prove your York County smarts, Part III

The World War II Battle of Okinawa ended 63 years ago on Saturday.

And we're somewhere near the midway point between the often forgotten V-E Day - May 8 - and V-J Day - August 14.

So, here are 20 questions to focus us on York County's contributions to the war that spawned the Greatest Generation: