November 2007 Archives

I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation about local Revolutionary War tourism. Among the many interesting comments and ideas of the presenter, one was that the local community needs to do a better job expanding “revolution” to mean more than just the Revolutionary War.

York is proud of its colonial past and Revolutionary heritage. A friend of mine once described York as a “Victorian town with a colonial attitude.”

The claim of “First Capital” rose to prominence as part of a mid-20th century tourism initiative. But York – the city, the visitors bureau – has toyed with many other slogans and tag lines over the years: “The Spice of Life,” “You’ve Gotta See It,” “See for Yourself,” “Gateway to Central Pennsylvania,” “You’ve Got it Made in York, PA,” “Factory Tour Capital of the World.”

Recognize any of these? “Factory Tour Capital of World” is the current branding initiative of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, packaging industrial heritage with factory and winery tours, among other offerings.

And the City of York uses “A Revolutionary Experience” in promotional activities, combining colonial history and buildings with the modern-day York Revolution baseball team.

I had the opportunity to work with Genesis Publishing & Advertising on several installments of their “Revolutionary York” visitors guide, which focused on the City of York. Here’s how we packaged the many revolutions of York, from the 2006 guide:

In 1852, J. Thomas Williams published a “View of York, PA” – a bird’s eye view that provides great insight into the York of the mid-19th century. The map includes close-up drawings of many local buildings and scenes – York County Court House, Hey’s Institute, Odd Fellows Hall, Centre Square, and many others. The overview “View from the Harrisburg Road,” pictured below, shows the York skyline. It also gives us a great depiction of what York looked liked during the Civil War.

When the Second Continental Congress arrived in York in 1777, they found a sleepy frontier town where most people spoke German. But in 1863, the Confederate Army found a growing, vibrant community with an important agricultural and industrial base.

The Metro York project to promote regionalization and sharing of services among York City, surrounding townships and boroughs, and school districts, was born with the recognition that we need to strengthen our urban core and the realization that we’re “all in it together.” Urban expert David Rusk chronicled the problems and opportunities facing our core municipalities in the Rusk Report and Rusk Report II. But the recognition of these issues is not new.

Recently, while doing research, I stumbled upon this article from the February 5, 1925 York Dispatch:

What Are York’s Greatest Needs for 1925?

EXTEND CORPORATE LIMITS

By Donald H. Yost

“What are York’s Greatest Needs in 1925?” Generally speaking, York’s needs are doubtless similar to those of practically every other modern American city of like size; their relative importance being to a great extent, purely a matter of personal opinion.

York, however, possesses one peculiar and greatest need, and that is an extension of its corporate limits. With little land remaining unbuilt upon within its present restricted boundaries, the encroachment of business upon the former residential sections has driven many of York’s citizens to exile in the surrounding boroughs and townships. This situation has prevented York showing the substantial gain in population which other factors indicate should exist; and, unless conditions are remedied, it is not at all inconceivable that the next census may show an actual loss.

As the standing of a city is rated largely by its percentage of growth in population, it follows, under present conditions (paradoxical as it may seem), that the greater York’s industries become, the more its reputation will suffer.

No efforts should, therefore, be spared during 1925 towards the actual realization of a “Greater York;” for in the case of municipalities, as in fact all things, when growth ceases, retrogression commences.