entertainment: October 2009 Archives

Halloween 1946 in Downtown York

As far back as I can remember, the parade through the streets of York has been the biggest event of the Halloween season. According to the November 1, 1946 Gazette and Daily, the parade had been replaced during the war years with a downtown party. Even though the war had ended a year earlier, the party tradition carried on in 1946.

As you can see from the Gazette and Daily photo above, downtown was jammed. The caption reads:

CONTINENTAL SQUARE IN A GALA MOOD--This shot from the Hartman building shows a segment of the many thousands of Hallowe'eners and spectators who jammed the Square and adjacent blocks during the community "witches' night" celebration last evening. Mayor John L. Snyder said the crowd was "at least a third" larger than last year.

The accompanying article further gives further details:

Elaine Ryan/Sister Mary Clare

St. Joseph's Convent outside of Columbia is closing. The convent building has been sold, with plans to turn it into affordable housing for either single mothers or seniors. The Sisters there, members of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ community, must move to another building on the property.

The York County connection? Sister Mary Clare, a long-time resident of the convent, started out life as Mildred Reineberg of York and took a roundabout route from here to there.