Around 1750, York residents began holding open markets in Centre Square. According to Gibson’s 1886 “History of York County, Pennsylvania,” the “custom of holding markets on Wednesday and Saturday in the center square of York, has been kept up without cessation since 1750.” Ironically, the year after Gibson’s history was published was the last year that markets were held in the Square.
George Stevenson, deputy surveyor for York County, lobbied for formal “market days” in a letter written in 1754: “Two Market Days in the Week, viz.: Wednesdays & Saturdays, for selling and buying daily Provisions, would prevent Impositions from Butchers, & Stop the Germans from their beloved Practice of buying & selling on Sundays, which I’m satisfied they continually do, tho’ ‘tis not easily detected.”
One year later, York was formally granted a charter to hold twice-weekly markets. “This grant of privilege states that the inhabitants of the town of York, in the new county of York, are become so numerous that they find it necessary to have a public market established within the said town of York, for the better supplying and accommodating them with good wholesome provisions, and other necessaries, under proper regulations.”
The charter then states that the Penn family, to the inhabitants of York, “grants and ordains that they and their successors shall and may forever thereafter hold and keep within the town, in every week in the year, two market days, the one on Wednesday and the other on Saturday, in such commodious place or places, as is, shall or may be, appointed for that purpose.”
The charter provided for a clerk of the market and granted authority to regulate the prices of bread, beer, and wine.
If the “market days” of Wednesday and Saturday sound familiar, it should. After the market ceased operating from the Square, Central Market House was constructed and took the days of Wednesday and Saturday for its regular market days.
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