1910s: October 2007 Archives

The Tribute Tree Committee appealed to the patriotism and generosity of York County citizens in this December 1919 York Gazette ad. A neighbor recently asked if I knew anything about the rows of sycamore trees still standing in places on the Susquehanna Trail south of York. She had heard that they were some kind of War Memorial.

Research led me to an extensive file at the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives. The file contained only a few articles on the Susquehanna Trail sycamores, which were indeed planted as a World War I memorial by the War Mothers organization. The rest of the file was a treasure-trove of information on the York County component of a similar World War I memorial project to line the Lincoln Highway from coast to coast with trees.

The file includes original records, donated around fifty years ago by the Woman's Club of York, of the Road of Remembrance from Abbottstown to Wrightsville. Records of contributions collected by the very organized group of women are included, as are file cards for each serviceman memorialized. For example:
NAME: William John Feldman
RESIDENCE: 404 W. Market St., York
DEPT OF SERVICE: Artillery
RANK: Private
WHERE DIED: Contrexeville, France.
A number in pencil (S-141) probably refers to the original location of the tree planted in memory of Feldman.

Click here for a previous post on the Woman's Club, sponsors of the memorial tree project.

Why isn't the Lincoln Highway across the county today an avenue lined with these trees? One reason is probably that instead of the visually distinctive sycamores planted along the Susquehanna Trail, four varieties of trees (oak, sugar maple, elm, and tulip poplar) were planted. These common trees would have blended in more quickly, with their purpose forgotten as memories faded.

The other reason for the Lincoln Highway trees disappearing is quite evident--progress.

The story of the ambitious project itself is absorbing. The full column telling that story follows:

The Woman's Club of York (yes, it is Woman's not Women's) is rededicating its refurbished home this week. The club, in the 200 block of East Market Street, is celebrating its recovery from a disastrous fire a little over six months ago. The club was originally dedicated 90 years ago this week.

While researching the previous owner of the house, Civil War pension attorney Hugh Whiteford McCall, for a York Sunday News column, I became intrigued with the high-style home. I wondered where McCall stopped and the Woman's Club started in the fabric of the building. An article in the October 20, 1917 York Gazette, describes the Woman's Club dedication the previous evening and answers a lot of architectural questions.

The renovations, under the direction of architect John B. Hamme, are described in detail: "The interior of the residence has been extensively remodeled, partitions have been removed and new ones have been built. The former parlor and library have been thrown into one, and a wide hall has been built from the front hall to the new assembly hall; the main staircase has been altered and a portion rebuilt. Two new toilet rooms have been placed on the second floor and a new bath room has been built on the third story for the new apartments on that floor. New parquet floors have been laid in the new parlor, portions of the dining room and the new hall to the assembly hall, and all the floors have been gone over, republished and finished."

The York Gazette & Daily arrived the same day it was printed, via the U.S. mail, in rural York County when I was growing up. That was most certainly the main reason my parents, and many others like them who didn't agree with the paper's political views, subscribed to "the morning paper." They liked their news fresh.

Being a voracious reader from the time I discovered the magic of reading, I remember sitting down with the paper every day and pretty much reading it from cover to cover. That's a habit I still haven't broken.

The Gazette & Daily made a liberal out of me, which I am sure my parents never foresaw. Perhaps more importantly, it also deserves credit for my early interest in history, which ultimately became my profession. I never missed the regular feature on what happened in the past--small fascinating snippets of the news of the same day from 25, 50 or more years before.

Since the York Gazette, the York Daily, and the Gazette & Daily, all predecessors of the York Daily Record , are easily accessible on microfilm at the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives, this blog will be looking back to some of those bygone events, along with other tales from York County history and their connections to the larger world out there. Please let me know if you like the look back in time, and if there is anything else you would like to see. The universe is filled with intriguing York County stories from the past. We will do our best to snag them in orbit.

See below to find out the hot news from 50 and 90 years ago:

Expressway (Route 83) under construction in 1957.