Walking & Talking with York's Leaders
Last evening I had the opportunity to participate in an annual autumn tradition – one that doesn’t involve football, tailgating, leaves, or pumpkins. The tradition? Leading the new class of Leadership York’s Leadership Training Program (LTP) on a walking tour of downtown York.
In the coming months, this year’s LTP class will attend sessions on economic development, arts & culture, health care, children’s issues, education, government, boardsmanship, and other notable topics.
But last night was about history.
Most years I share tour guide duties with Scott Royer, Director of Education for the York County Heritage Trust.
When I arrived at the Colonial Court House, Scott and I compared notes. As is typical, he asked if I knew where I was headed or what I was talking about, and I responded, “No.” And then I queried, “You?” “Nope” was his response.
But this isn’t indicative of a lack of preparation; rather, it showcases something quite unique and interesting about downtown York. You can walk in any direction and have much to talk about. As a rule, we both try to lead our respective groups to important landmarks and locations, like Continental Square, Friends Meeting House, and Golden Plough Tavern.
I can’t speak for Scott, but I can tell you that I’ve never given the same tour twice. In fact, over the years I’ve had the opportunity to lead many different walking tours – general history, Civil War, architecture, photography, and even ghosts and legends. I don’t have a “canned” tour. What makes the Leadership York walking tour fun is that I can throw in a bit of everything. The challenge that Scott and I faced last evening was how to each take a group of 20 people from the Colonial Court House to Queen Street (our agreed-upon destination) and back in one hour.
There are just so many topics to discuss:
Revolutionary War history – Second Continental Congress, notable patriots, Lafayette’s visit, related buildings.
Civil War history – U.S. Army Hospital, Camp Scott, the occupation of York, related buildings.
Underground Railroad – conductors, stationmasters, and stations.
Industrial Revolution – first iron steamboat, first coal-burning locomotive, the York Plan.
Economic Development – adaptively reused buildings, “Restaurant Row,” arts & culture district, brownfield redevelopment.
Architecture – diversity of styles, notable architects, gargoyles, grotesques, and other unique features.
And at this time of year:
Dark history and supernatural legends – General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, PT Barnum’s cannibals, things that go bump in the night in local buildings.
During and immediately after the tour, I had the opportunity to talk with many participants in this year’s class. I spoke with the young professional who recently relocated to York from suburban Philadelphia. She is already eager to learn about York’s history and eventually purchase and restore one of the historic housing gems in York City. I talked with the Harrisburg commuter who told me that he has never really walked around York – he drives through, or goes immediately to his destination without checking out the surroundings.
Before the class moved on to their next topic, I had the opportunity to ask a single question: “So, what did you learn?” A few of the responses:
- One participant said that she had only lived in York for a couple of years, but thought that she perhaps knew more about the area’s history then some lifelong Yorkers because when she arrived, she made an effort to learn it.
- Another participant said that he learned that he’d like to live in downtown York’s “castle,” Gethsemane Hall!
- Yet another stated that he learned that there was such an amazing diversity of architectural styles within downtown York.
- And a long-time Yorker echoed the first participant’s sentiments – they had grown up here, but really had no idea of the depth of York’s history.
- And finally, one woman summed what she learned in two words: “York’s old.”
Ask anyone who has ever gone through a Leadership York program, and they’ll probably tell you that they learned so much about their local community. Not just in terms of history, but in terms of everything: arts, culture, health care, education, economy, social needs. York is fortunate to have such a dynamic organization, and there is simply no better way to learn about this community than by enrolling in a Leadership York program – either the in-depth Leadership Training Program or abbreviated Executive Connections. Of course, my opinion is a biased one. I’m a 1996 graduate of the Leadership Training Program and former member of the Leadership York Board of Directors.
For information on Leadership York, visit www.leadershipyork.org.
Cindy Hoke · October 5, 2007 9:23 AM
Hi, Scott,
As a participant of your Wednesday walking tour and a staff member of Leadership York I was thrilled to read your comments about the evening. I have lived in York all my life but I never before stopped to admire the city’s diverse architecture. You shared stories about our community that were new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. York is very fortunate to have not only a rich and interesting history but organizations like the York County Heritage Trust and individuals like yourself who are dedicated to preserving that history. On behalf of the Leadership Training Program’s class of 2008, I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with us.
York is also very lucky to have 40 enthusiastic new participants in the LTP class who are eager to learn about our community. Like the LTP graduates from past years, they are helping to make York a better place to live, work and play.
One question for you, Scott, an LTP participant is looking for reading material about York’s history. Can you suggest some books for her?
Thanks again for your contribution to our community,
Cindy Hoke
LTP Program Coordinator
Leadership York