Wall Street, 1903
A colleague recently asked me where Wall Street used to be in York. It doesn't appear on present-day maps. A search through old maps with a magnifying glass located a tiny little Wall Street in the 1903 Atlas of York published by Frederick B. Roe.
Finish reading 'York, PA Had Its Own Wall Street' »
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Part of Freystown, 1876
Maps are fascinating. They document the charges in communities over the years. You can see how residential, social, and industrial patterns evolve as an area grows, or in some cases, retracts.
I recently looked at the when and where of North, South, East, and West streets in York, Pennsylvania. Click here to read that post.
Another look at 1836, 1850, 1876, and 1903 maps of York show changes in street names as well as disappearances of whole villages as they were absorbed into the city. The southeast side of town illustrates that well:
Finish reading 'Mapping York, PA's Past' »I was asked, in response to my recent post about the Barnitz brewers of York, if they were related to brewer J. C. Barnitz of Harrisburg. Click here to read about the York brewers.
Good question, and the answer is Yes. It turns out that brewing was a traditional occupation in the Barnitz family during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Finish reading 'The Barnitz York and Baltimore Brewing Dynasty' »
Variety Iron Works from 1868-69 city directory at York County Heritage Trust
I am glad to see that some of the remaining buildings of the Smyser-Royer Variety Iron Works complex are part of York City’s Northwest Triangle redevelopment project.
One of my York Sunday News columns outlined the metamorphosis of the company from a small stove manufacturer to a huge fabricator of mill gears and turbines; garden benches, fountains, and statuary; cast iron buildings fronts; light posts; lacy iron railings, such as the famous ones in New Orleans; iron bridge parts; and much more. You can read that column below.
Then I just came across an article in an 1867 York Gazette that added even more variety to the company’s products.
Finish reading 'York’s Variety Iron Works Produced Real Variety' »Last week I wrote about several heroic citizens who saved a woman, a cow, and five horses from a raging five-building fire at South Queen and Prospect streets in 1857. The horses were saved by William Heffner, who ran naked into the stable and got them out.
To read the story of Mr. Heffner rescuing the horses from the fire, click here.
I just came across an ad placed in the Gazette 150 years ago by “Wm. Heffner, Cattle Doctor, Queen Street, York, PA.” It shows that the veterinarians of the day not only treated the animals under their care, but often had to concoct the medications they used:
“Very Important to Farmers and Keepers of Cattle
DISCOVERED
The best Remedy against Murrian”
We often hear of terrible fires that could have had even worse consequences if it were not for extraordinary ordinary people, and well as brave firefighters, risking themselves to save other humans as well as animals. The same held true in the past.
There was an ever-present danger of fire 150 years ago. Homes were heated and cooking was done in fireplaces and stoves with flames or smoldering coals. Arson seemed also to be a popular crime. In the winter of 1857 the Gazette reports on a five-structure fire and how horses were saved by a not very well clad rescuer:
York County Prison, built 1853
The December 29, 1857 Gazette reported a Christmas night prison excape at the York County jail, which had been built only four years before. The escapees of 150 years ago used a method similar to that used just recently. The account follows below:
"PRISONERS ESCAPED AND RECAPTURED.
On the night of the 25th inst., two prisoners, names William Cook and James A. Quinland, made their escape from our new jail in a most adroit and skillful manner. They both, it appears, occupied the same cell on the second floor of the prison and were locked up, as usual, at about 5 o'clock in the evening.
Finish reading 'Christmas Jail Break from York County Prison' »
A few days ago I wrote about York County's continuing love affair with the oyster. Many people will tell you that with good oysters you need good beer.
Breweries abounded over the years in York, as evidenced by the following 1857 advertisement from the Gazette. One hundred fifty years ago, brothers D. W. Barnitz and A. M. Barnitz were turning good York County barley and rye into equally good York County beer.
Click here to read more about the Barnitz family of brewers.
The Lewis Miller drawing above shows a previous generation of the Barnitz family at their brew house with a crowd of Yorkers, carrying empty pitchers, advancing on them. Miller captioned it "The Old Brew house in the year 1801. The[y] made Good Beer."
The ad reads:
Finish reading 'York County Rye & Barley = Good Beer' »
One hundred and fifty years ago York Countians loved to have their photograph taken. The art of practical photography was less than 20 years old, but there were at least two outstanding photographers in York. We seem to hear most often about Glenalvin Goodridge, perhaps because his father William is known as the first successful African American businessman in York.
J. Thomas Williams may have been more prolific than Goodridge, judging from the examples of his work that have survived. He was also very accomplished, as attested in the following ad, which had already been running in the Gazette for at least two and a half years in the fall of 1857:
One hundred fifty years ago Yorkers were just as eager to spend their money on snack and drinks as they are today, as shown in a sampling of ads from the Gazette:
Christian Pfahler caught your eye with the large letters “L. I. P.” You had to read further to find it referred to his “Liquor, Ice and Pop business, at the old stand of Charles Hay, No. 44 South George Street, York, Pa. His stock of Liquors are of the CHOICEST BRANDS, AND VARIETY.”
The favorable character of the last season has enabled him to secure a full supply of Ice of the very best quality, which can be had at his residence or will be delivered as heretofore.
The ad continues:
Finish reading 'Liquor, Ice and Pop Popular in Nineteenth Century York' »
