York: January 2008 Archives

You may have heard of Bull Frog Alley and wondered where it was. The following 1878 York Gazette article tells about the basket makers living there.

York Chief of Detectives Charles S. White celebrated Lincoln’s Birthday a hundred years ago by jailing a jewel thief named Harry St. Clair. White went to Baltimore to pick up the 16-year-old criminal, who had been arrested there.

The Gazette reports that St. Clair was charged with:

An Earlier View of Market and Beaver Streets by William Wagner with National House on Left.

I recently wrote about a rowdy York citizen swinging a Civil War cavalry sword around a local cigar store in 1877.

Click here to read about the sword incident.

That York Gazette article referred to even more excitement the previous week in the same neighborhood at Market and Beaver Streets.

Duke Street Methodist Church Shortly after Completion

1876 Map Showing Duke Street M.E. Opposite York Collegiate Institute

Anyone associated with a non-profit institution knows that fundraising is a continuing necessity. It was the same in the past. York County churches were very good at coming up with new ways to raise cash. In a previous post I wrote about the York Moravians charging ten cents in 1867 to see their illuminated Christmas tree.

Click here to read about the Moravian Christmas tree.

Giving a donation to have your name embroidered on a quilt was also popular. I’ll go into that in a later post.

I recently came across “jug breaking," a new one to me, but it was certainly a hit at the Duke Street Methodist Church in 1877. My recent York Sunday News column relates the details:

We often hear about new schemes the unscrupulous come up with to part the unwary from their cash. The York Daily newspaper reported an elaborate one of 100 years ago.

The January 31, 1908 article reads: “CHIEF WHITE ARRESTS FAKE BIOGRAPHY MAN.
R. N. Crawley, of Philadelphia, who came to York several months ago, representing that he was about to publish a book of biographies of prominent professional and business men, was arrested yesterday afternoon by Chief of Detectives Charles S. White on charges of false pretence.”

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that, judging by the ads from real estate agents in other areas trying to entice York County buyers, this area must have been quite prosperous in the late 1860s. Merchants and other entrepreneurs wanted a chunk of our cash too.

Click here to read real estate offerings to York County "capitalists."

For example, though York had its own jewelry stores, James E. Caldwell & Co., Jewelers, Importers, and Manufacturers of Philadelphia took out a sizable ad in the Gazette offering “watches, diamonds, jewelry, solid silver wares, plated goods, mantel clocks, bronzes, decorated china vases and ornaments, musical boxes, and carved wood ornaments to shoppers from York County.

Most surprising to me was Union Pacific Railroad’s nearly full column advertisement offering bonds to York Countians to invest in the western railway, then under construction.

A few days ago I wrote about the "cure" for Murrain, several extremely serious diseases of horses, cattle, and swine. It was concocted and marketed by William Heffner, York Cattle Doctor.

Click hear to read about Heffner's horse, swine, and cattle cure claims.

It wasn't only veterinarians who promised that their mixtures would work wonders for just about any ailment. The following ad from the Gazette of 140 years ago hardly misses a malady:

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"