How many architectural styles are present in York County?

For a short primer on 40 styles and sub-styles of local historic architecture, play the video below, which features over 90 county buildings.

On Saturday, approximately 70 photo enthusiasts met on Continental Square in downtown York to photograph the White Rose City. It was the third photowalk organized by Andy Smith, Visual Realia, who also organized similar walks in Gettysburg and Harrisburg. For many, it was the first time walking downtown York with camera in hand. For others, it was a good excuse to enjoy the June weather and take in some sights.

The equipment they brought with them ranged from camera cell phones and small point-and-shoot digital cameras to 35-mm digital SLR cameras with multiple lenses and tripods in tow.

The day began with a group photo on the steps of the former York County Court House, and then everyone proceeded to the York Water Company to photograph the stunning interior. It was the first of many treats for the photowalkers. After leaving the water company building, many proceeded to the David Small House (known by many as simply "the brownstone"), where Martin Library's Fran Keller had the building opened as part of the York Patriot Days celebration. Participants photographed the historic parlor, toured the nearby Bonham House, and photographed the architectural details and streetscapes of York.

On Philadelphia Street, everyone was treated to an appearance of freed slave turned businessman turned Underground Railroad agent William C. Goodridge, portrayed by Lee Smallwood. Lee gave an overview of Goodridge's life, and invited participants to stop by the courtyard to the rear of the Goodridge Freedom House, which was also open as part of Patriot Days.

From there, the walk continued past the Strand-Capitol, and into Central Market House for a brief stop. By this time the group of 70 had spread out on multiple blocks, all slowly making their way to the Colonial Complex of the York County Heritage Trust. Colonial-era living historians provided more shooting opportunities for the shutterbugs.

Back on Continental Square, I talked with a gentleman from Maryland who came to York specifically for the photowalk. He told me that he had driven through York many times before, but had never looked at it through the lens of a camera. "What wonderful architectural treasures, York has" he told me. Though he had to depart, he promised that he'd return, camera in hand: "There's a lot more here that I'd love to photograph," he said.

According to an e-mail from Andy Smith, photowalkers came from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

For information about the photowalk, visit Visual Realia: http://www.visualrealia.com/VR_Photowalks/Home.html.

Participants are also uploading their photos to a Flickr page. Check out their fabulous work at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/yorkphotowalk/.

Many people I've spoken with over the years have commented about photos I've taken in downtown York. "How did you take a photo without any cars?" "How come your photos look better than the real thing?" "Where is the bear staring out over the Square?" "Why didn't you take a picture of (fill in the blank)?" And, of course, "I take better pictures than you!"

If you are looking for tips and tricks, are interested in meeting new people who share your love of photography, or simply have been looking for an excuse to head downtown with your camera, look no further.

This Saturday, the York Photowalk will be held, following on the heels of successful Gettysburg and Harrisburg photowalks. Come out with your camera - as new-fangled or old-fashioned as you like - and walk through the streets of downtown York with fellow photography enthusiasts.

Photowalkers will be meeting on Continental Square at 10 a.m., and following a route that includes Market and Philadelphia Streets between Pershing Avenue to the West and Pine Street to the East.

Having taken thousands of photos (literally) of downtown York over the years for such books as York's Historic Architecture, York: America's Historic Crossroads, Civil War Walking Tour of York, PA, and various publications and guides, I'm still excited to go downtown with my camera. There's always something to photograph: the energy of Central Market House, the architectural details that people pass by every day without ever noticing, the picturesque places that make York such a unique community. This Saturday will be no exception - the York County Heritage Trust will be holding its annual Patriot Days event, with living historians out in force, and I just learned that a prominent local landmark will be opening its interior for photography.

I'll be there, happy to help answer your history, architecture, or photography questions. (As well as the inevitable ghost question: "Is this building haunted?")

To learn more, follow this link:

http://www.visualrealia.com/VR_Photowalks/Home.html

See you on Saturday!

As we head toward late June, the York historical community again turns its attention to the Civil War, and the brief period in June 1863 when York became the largest Northern town to be occupied by the Confederate Army. In the days leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, York was occupied by the 6,000 battle-hardened soldiers of General Jubal Early's Division of the Army of Northern Virginia. I recently had the opportunity to present the York story to the York Civil War Roundtable, and asked the following question in the process: could the battle have taken place in York?

So much of present-day Civil War scholarship is arm-chair quarterbacking - or perhaps, more appropriately, arm-chair general-ing - so why not have a little fun speculating where York is concerned? To do that, we need only look at the writings of Confederate officers, both during and after the war.

But first, a statement from York resident Cassandra Small, who wrote about the occupation in letters to her cousin: "Now we know why we were spared; they told themselves they expected to make this their headquarters. The battle was to be here and that was the reason they guarded our warehouses and mills so well."

Why would Cassandra write such a thing? Did her father, prominent businessman Philip A. Small, tell her this? If so, who told him?

According to Jubal Early, "General Ewell ordered me to move with my command across the South Mountain, and through Gettysburg to York, for the purpose of cutting the Northern Central Railroad (running from Baltimore to Harrisburg), and destroying the bridge across the Susquehanna at Wrightsville and Columbia on the branch railroad from York to Philadelphia."

No indication of a major Confederate concentration can be found in these post-war comments from Early.

However, Corps commander A.P. Hill makes an interesting statement in his official report of the Battle of Gettysburg: "On the morning of June 29, the Third Corps ... was encamped on the road from Chambersburg to Gettysburg, near the village of Fayetteville. I was directed to move on this road in the direction of York, and to cross the Susquehanna, menacing the communications of Harrisburg with Philadelphia, and to co-operate with General Ewell, acting as circumstances might require."

There is a contradiction here. Why would Corps commander General Richard Ewell order Early to destroy the Susquehanna River bridge when General A.P. Hill was ordered to proceed across it?

General Jeb Stuart, often criticized for not providing intelligence to Lee about movements of the Army of the Potomac, and for not arriving at Gettysburg until the end of the second day of fighting, wrote this in his official report: ""It was expected that I would find (Early) at York, Pennsylvania. It is believed that had the corps of Hill and Longstreet moved onward, instead of halting near Chambersburg, three or four days, that York could have become the point of concentration instead of Gettysburg."

So here we have some indication that the Army of Northern Virginia may have been planning to concentrate in York.

Early's 6,000-man strong division had arrived in York on June 28. A.P. Hill claims he was ordered to proceed to York and beyond on June 29, meaning another 20,000 soldiers were in route. And Jeb Stuart was heading toward York on June 30 with over 3,500 men; he ran into the Union cavalry in Hanover, resulting in the first significant fighting on Pennsylvania soil during Lee's northern campaign. (There had also been a skirmish in Wrightsville on June 28 as Confederate General John B. Gordon's brigade arrived and attempted to take the bridge over the Susquehanna River).

Next we have a quote from Major H.B. McClellan, the Confederate cavalry chief of staff. He discusses a letter that was sent to from Robert E. Lee to Jeb Stuart at the beginning of Lee's campaign northward: "The letter ... informed General Stuart that General Early would move upon York, Pa., and that he was desired to place his cavalry as speedily as possible with that, the advance division of Lee's right wing... and York, Pa., was designated as the point in the vicinity of which he was to expect to hear from Early, and as the possible (if not probable) point of concentration of the army."

McClellan's letter corroborates Stuart's account, and adds a bit more intrigue to the question of whether or not the Army of Northern Virginia was heading to York, the possible, if not probable, point of concentration.

Further evidence supporting this comes from Colonel W.H. Swallow, an officer in General Rodes' Division: "General Ewell, and Colonel Turner of his staff, both told me in confidence at Berryville, before crossing the Potomac, that York, Pennsylvania or that vicinity, was the ground where General Lee expected to concentrate his army. I believe that if Longstreet had not tarried so long at Chambersburg, York would have been the point of concentration on the 30th, instead of Gettysburg."

What is notable here is that both Col. Swallow and Gen. Stuart note Longstreet's delay in leaving Chambersburg - does that mean that they also expected him to move toward York?

General A.L. Long was Robert E. Lee's military secretary. After the war, he wrote several times about the reason for Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania; furthermore, he notes that Gettysburg and York were not just identified as locations to concentrate the Army of Northern Virginia, but also locations for a major battle with the Army of the Potomac: "I will repeat in substance the remarks of General Lee, when the invasion of the North was under consideration...should we draw (the enemy) far away from the defenses of his capital, and defeat him on a field of our own choosing, his army would be irretrievably lost, and the victory would be attended with results of the utmost importance. Gettysburg and York were designated as points suitable for such a battle."

One of the first great historians of the Battle of Gettysburg, Jacob Hoke, recognized the movements of the Confederate Army, and identified York as a potential location of battle in his important work, The Great Invasion: "That either a battle at that place (York) or crossing the river and marching upon Harrisburg by its east bank, was expected, is clear from the fact that up to the night of Monday, 29th, when the plan of the campaign was suddenly changed, the movement of troops were nearly altogether in the direction of York."

Finally, we have one other piece of evidence for The Battle of York: General George Meade.

On June 30, 1863, he sent two telegraphs indicating his intelligence as to the whereabouts of the Army of Northern Virginia as well as his plans moving forward: "Our reports seem to place Ewell in the vicinity of York and Harrisburg ... I shall push on tomorrow in the direction of Hanover Junction and Hanover, when I hope by July 2 to open communication with Baltimore by telegraph and rail, to renew supplies."

At Hanover Junction, Meade would be along the important Northern Central Railway, which was critical for resupplying the Army of the Potomac. He would also be located roughly ten miles south of York - and perhaps ten miles south of a massing Confederate Army.

What would have or could have happened is, of course, mere speculation and far more important is what did actually happen on the battlefields of Gettysburg. Still, it is an intriguing thought. Could the battle have been fought in and around York? If so, would any of the town been damaged or destroyed? Would the outcome have been different if the Confederate Army had a full day or two to scout out the area and work on their battle plan? Would the neighborhoods around greater York instead be historic battlefields filled with markers and monuments?

While researching my latest book, Gettysburg Perspectives, I was struck by the number of Dempwolf-designed projects in Gettysburg.

The work of J.A. Dempwolf and his brother Reinhardt in York County has been well-documented, but the Dempwolf influence was felt far beyond York's borders.

At the Lutheran Seminary, J.A. Dempwolf designed the impressive Valentine Hall as well as several homes. One of these buildings was the residence of the Reverend John Singmaster, who served as president of the seminary from 1903 to 1928. Today, the building is the Singmaster Conference Center. So picturesque is Valentine Hall on West Confederate Avenue that the publisher I worked with for Gettysburg Perspectives decided to feature it on the back cover.

Over at Gettysburg College, the work of the Dempwolf firm is even more notable. Glatfelter Hall, which was built in 1889 for a cost of $92,000, was originally known as Recitation Building. The monumental Victorian Romanesque structure features a 143-foot tower. The red-brick structure also exhibits accents of Hummelstown brownstone and massive Romanesque arches. Many of Dempwolf's grand buildings were designed in the Victorian Romanesque style, including the York Central Market as well as another notable building on the campus of Gettysburg: Brua Hall. Built as Brua Chapel in 1890, the building is today home to the College's theater arts program.

Yet another Dempwolf design on the campus of Gettysburg College is McKnight Hall, which was originally a dormitory for men and is today home to the French, German, Italian, and Spanish language programs.

The year of 2009 is turning out to be a good one for noted architect J.A. Dempwolf, who passed away over 80 years ago.

Dempwolf led an architectural firm that designed many notable buildings throughout central Pennsylvania and beyond. He worked with his brother, Reinhardt, who was schooled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and his son, Frederick.

The year of 2009 marks the 100th anniversary for the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects - and John Augustus Dempwolf co-founded the local chapter. I recently heard a historian speak about the development of Harrisburg, and the name Dempwolf came up again and again. According to Ken Frew, research librarian at The Historical Society of Dauphin County and author of the upcoming book, Building Harrisburg, Dempwolf was better known than any other architect in central Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As the local architects recognize Dempwolf's legacy, so too will York County's architectural preservation organization.

On Thursday, May 14, Historic York, Inc. will hold its annual meeting and preservation awards. The event will take place at the renovated York County Court House - one of Dempwolf's most notable works. The event will also serve as a kick-off for what is to come later this year: a tour of Dempwolf-designed buildings.

Historic York's annual tour will be held on October 11 and include several mansions, private residences, and other notable buildings. On the Friday evening before the tour (October 9), Historic York and the York County Heritage Trust are partnering to hold an opening reception at the Historical Society Building at 250 East Market Street. The event will include a display of a portion of the Dempwolf drawing collection, short speeches about Dempwolf's influence in the region, and an exhibit of his work. Watch this blog for more information as it becomes available.

For information on the preservation awards/annual meeting or Dempwolf tour, contact Alycia Reiten, executive director of Historic York, at 717-843-0320.

Several years ago I extensively researched the alleged "Toast that Saved the Nation" -- General Lafayette's legendary toast to the health of General George Washington at the Gates House in York. This toast is promoted as an event that thwarted the Conway Cabal and saved Washington's job. Today, we even have a statue of Lafayette standing in front of the Gates House and a historic marker commemorating the event.

But is any of it really true? Did Lafayette actually give a toast? If so, did it save Washington's job? And did it really happen in the Gates House?

Turns out, the toast is mostly just boast, with little factual evidence. I wrote about the event in a York Sunday News / York Daily Record guest column, which appears below:

Now that the community has celebrated the unveiling of a statue commemorating the Marquis de Lafayette's toast to Gen. George Washington, it is probably a good time to separate the legend from historical fact.

Local tradition holds that Lafayette was invited by the Board of War to come to York Town, then hosting the Second Continental Congress, in order to accept a commission to lead a Continental Army invasion of Canada. The board was filled with Washington's enemies, and their ultimate goal was to replace the commander-in-chief with Gen. Horatio Gates. Perhaps they could even woo Lafayette to support their cabal.

Gen. Gates hosted a banquet at his house, and here Lafayette sat as board members and congressional delegates toasted one another. Much to the conspirators' dismay, however, Lafayette proposed a toast to Washington. This brave deed reinforced Lafayette's steadfast support of the general, ultimately thwarting the Conway Cabal and saving Washington's job. Without Lafayette's support, the French government would not support a change in leadership. The young nation was coveting the support of France to help defeat the British Army.

This is the oft-told story of Lafayette's 1778 visit to York Town. But is there really historical evidence to support this claim?