Portion of 1876 Pomeroy, Whitman map of downtown Glen Rock showing industries.
Glen Rock, Pa. was really a booming manufacturing town a hundred years ago. It was among the York County towns that enjoyed the advantage by being located on a main railroad line, allowing easy shipping of raw materials and finished products.
According to a front page article in the January 23, 1900 York Press, Glen Rock even weathered the 1890s Depression well.
The article reads:
A PROSPEROUS TOWNIt Enjoys a Vigorous Boom that is Likely to Be Lasting.Among the many towns of the county that have been pushing to the front in industry and commerce, the town of Glen Rock stands out conspicuously. It was one of the few towns in the State that passed through the recent period of hard times without being seriously affected.
Among the foremost industries may be mentioned the Wire Cloth factory, S. K. Diehl superintendent; Glen Manufacturing company, Jas. Dise, manager; Norrish Foundry and Machine works; Enterprise Furniture factory and a sewing factory employing one hundred girls under the management of J. M. Grove. These plants are operating full time and have orders enough ahead to keep them running indefinitely.
The Rampley carriage works, employing a large number of men, recently destroyed by fire in York, will be rebuilt there. W. C. Koller, who has become famous as a dealer in buggies, wagons, etc., will conduct the enterprise.
There are five stores, one bank, two hotels, three liveries, four churches and lodges of Junior Mechanics, Knights of Pythias, Red Men and Heptasophs.
An electric lighting plant supplies the town with light and the streets are well paved. The population is between 1200 and 1400 and is rapidly increasing. The Glen Rock Item is an old established publication with a State reputation, and its editor, Mr. M. L. Kapp, is just the sort of a man to run a live paper in a live town.
Click the links below for more on Glen Rock.
Great story. We live in a house in Glen Rock designed and built by Joseph Dise and his Glen Manufacturing Co. I also believe the carriage builder, Mr. Koller's daughter and son-in-law lived in our home at one time.
One of these days we'll get to the York County Archives to look up old deeds for our home.
For a small town, Glen Rock has a lot of history.
It certainly does. I think being situated on the Northern Central Railroad put Glen Rock in the main stream of commerce.
If you get into the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives tell the Library/Archives Director, Lila Fourhman-Shaull, that you are looking for Glen Rock history. She has roots in Glen Rock. The Assistant Librarian/Archivist, Victoria Lander, also has family ties down that way, so they can steer you in the right direction.
My family stayed more in the Chanceford, Windsor, Lower Windsor area. I think they figured crossing the Susquehanna River was enough for them, and they didn't go any further.