Unveiling hidden art around York, Pa. – Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 27, 2012

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Jim McClure

More stuff below: Unsung bookstore/The rock in the photo/Genealogical findings

Many people have seen the York Water’s Co.’s ornate ceiling. Not as commonly seen is this art in the Brownstone, part of the Martin Library in York. This was unveiled in a Hidden Art of York tour, covered by York Daily Record/Sunday News journalist Erin McCracken recently. ‘I’ve been covering the arts in York for about five years. I’ve attended many events, gallery openings and concerts. During my time here, I also learned about its history and found some hidden gems. So, when I decided to cover this Downtown Inc-led tour, I doubted I would learn much. I was wrong,’ Erin wrote. Check out her coverage of the tour via a neat application called Storify: Hidden Art. (See additional art from the tour below.) Also of interest: Check out these facts, photographs about York Water Company’s ornate building.

Neat stuff from all over …

Still on the topic of tours, Blogger Blake Stough writes about a fascinating journey, complete with photographs, over at Preserving York.

In a 2011 post, Blake posted a photograph of family members on and around a rock the Gettysburg Battlefield.

Well, Blake set out to find that very same rock. Did he find it? Check out: I Was Sergt Major 11th US Infantry At Gettysburg.

Hanover-area residents are enjoying the results of their historical research. Here, Matt Conn points to a relative who served in World War I. Check out: Genealogy work brings more meaningful Memorial Day.

 Historical house: James Fritz of Abbottstown lives in a house with a deep history. And this Adams County landmark has been recognized for this past – a past that goes back to the American Revolution – recently.

Recommended blog post: Cannonball’s Scott Mingus points out a bookstore that some folks around here might not know about: Cupboard Maker Books of Enola. I love learning about this unsung treasures.

 

Forum of the day, I: Just in time for Memorial Day cookouts, Bury’s secret recipe as published in the York Sunday News. Check out: http://bitly.com/KtJWP1. Remember Bury’s with that red sauce slathered all over it? Ever taste a better burger?

Forum of the day, II: After PennDOT finishes work on the I-83/Mount Rose intersection, it will shift to the interstate’s congested Route 30 intersection, with its short ramps and all: http://bitly.com/Kv4Iha. Do you agree with this priority? Are you one who avoids Route 30 at all cost? Let us know what you think in commenting below.


The Hidden Art tour revealed this painting of York Water Co.’s original water source. This must be a rendering from Bummie’s Woods, near Penn State York. I never saw this painting before. For more about the Hidden Art tour, see: Erin McCracken’s PopEye column.

Posted in Archives, all posts, Books & reading, Civil War, Events, Explanations/controversy, For photo fans, Genealogy/research, Linked in/neat stuff, Local journalism & Web, Local landmarks, Nostalgia & memories, People, Uncategorized, Unsung/obscure sites, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the beach: Bike shows the reach of York-made products – Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 26, 2012

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Jim McClure

Good stuff, below: Haar’s drive-in/Blue Star museums/Continental Square

This Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycle was made in York. It’s the famous one that has been in the news since it was washed away from last year’s tsunami in Japan and ended up months later on the beach in Canada. A couple of interesting points: The bike, made in Harley’s Springettsbury Township plant, shows the reach of York County-made products. That not new, only a good reminder. And the presence of the American-made cycle in a land that produced bikes that have been challenging its success for years is rich, indeed. The owner of the 2004 bike, by the way, is fine if the Softtail ends up in the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee. Perhaps it could be part of a traveling exhibit that would make a stop in York. Also of interest: Check out dozens of stories and photographs about Harley-Davidson in York County. and 7-decade-old Harley plant in York has produced much more than motorcycles.

Neat stuff from all over … .

Many young people today never have experienced a drive-in movie.

There’s one such icon left from a day that a half dozen or outdoor movie drive-ins operated in and around York County.

Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, all posts, Events, Explanations/controversy, For photo fans, Harley-Davidson, Linked in/neat stuff, Local journalism & Web, Made in York, Mail bag, Nostalgia & memories, Notable images, Uncategorized, War, Wheels of York | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Small Old East York school spawns big memories: Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 25, 2012

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Jim McClure


Mention the Hiestand Elementary School in Springettsbury Township’s Old East York neighborhood, and you’ll get a flood of memories from many people. ‘It surprises me how the school ignites a passionate memory in people,’ former student Pam Lee said. ‘I think it’s because the school was so small.’ The school opened in 1912, and a centennial celebration is planned in in September. The school closed in 1978. This is the final Hiestand Elementary School yearbook, courtesy of Pam Lee. For more about the school, see Memories of Hiestand Elementary. (Also, see related photo below.) Also of interest: David Levin, former Hiestand student, becomes noted university professor.

Neat stuff from all over …

Betsy Shaw recently alerted us to an upcoming presentation about the Strickler family.

In our emails, she flagged another moment in York County – the borough of Yorkana’s 100th birthday.

Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, all posts, Events, For photo fans, Linked in/neat stuff, Local journalism & Web, Local landmarks, Longtime York families, Mail bag, Nostalgia & memories, People, School days, Small-town life, Uncategorized, Wheels of York | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Check out these famous faces of York County, Pa.

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Jim McClure


Ken Ludwig is a writer of Broadway plays. But he has not forgotten York County, as his appearance at York Little Theatre earlier this year indicates. ‘It’s such an artistic area,’ he said during a recent phone interview from his Washington, D.C., home prior to his visit. ‘I remember being surrounded by the arts. The German roots of the community are very musical.’ Ludwig is a member of Famous Faces of York County, a new page on Joan Concilio’s blog Only in York County. Also of interest: Pittsburgh, Pa., has The Warhol. Can York, Pa., secure The Jeff Koons?

Last weekend, Chris Doleman came back to York to speak at the William Penn Block and Tackle Express Club’s annual award ceremony.

The NFL Hall of Famer was a morale booster as BT Express inducted members into its own hall of fame. Morale is a big thing right now as sports programs may be penciled out of the financially beleaguered York City School District’s budget… .

Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, all posts, For photo fans, Genealogy/research, Heroes, Local journalism & Web, Music and musicians, Nostalgia & memories, Notable images, People, Uncategorized, Women's history, York celebrities, York High achievers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National House hosts Charles Dickens, Van Buren and Good Dog – Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 23, 2012

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Jim McClure


The National House, aka the old National Hotel, has seen many businesses and visitors – author Charles Dickens and U.S. President Martin Van Buren – over the years. Now,  a new business is planned. Scott Eden, pictured here, will open  a taproom in the first floor of this landmark, at the corner of Beaver and Market Streets in York. The name Good Dog Taproom could bring you back to 1828, when the National House opened. The Red Lion Tavern, for example, opened in the 1800s. The taproom is indicative of the boutique-like businesses that are starting to open around York City. (See photograph below of the National House soon after it opened.) Also of interest: Revised map of York, Continental Square provides snapshot of how far we have come.

Neat stuff from all over… .

Developer Tim Pasch’s decision to sell property presumed to be the site of a Revolutionary War POW camp was not universally acclaimed.

Arguments against the sell of the Camp Security site to preservationists go like this: There is a sentiment that you can’t save everything, that’s another property off the tax rolls and there’s no structure on the site.

Continue reading →

Posted in All presidential stops, American Revolution, Archives, all posts, Books & reading, Explanations/controversy, Farms & fields, For photo fans, Linked in/neat stuff, Local journalism & Web, Local landmarks, Mail bag, Nostalgia & memories, Notable images, People, School days, Small-town life, Uncategorized, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meet the Stricklers – and the Rubys … Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 22, 2012

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jim McClure

More neat stuff below: Helf carpet family/Milky Way Railroad/Hancock String Band

Morgan Brenner’s upcoming talk at the Lower Windsor Historical Society is officially titled “Our Strickler Heritage.” But York countian Betsy Shaw, who flagged yorktownsquare.com about the talk, writes that it could also be called ‘Meet the Stricklers – and some Rubys and Dietzs.’ Also of interest: Story of venerable York County Strickler family not just about who begat whom .

Morgan G. Brenner, with historians Joe Brillhart and Jim Rudisill, will present on the Strickler family at 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 5. The presentation on this noted York County family is set for the Lower Windsor Twp. Community Building, 2425 Craley Rd., about one mile west of Craley on Route 624.

The Kreutz Creek Valley Preservation Society and Historic Wrightsville are  also sponsoring the free presentation.

Betsy Shaw, who emailed about the event, wrote:

Continue reading →

Posted in All politics is local, Archives, all posts, Books & reading, Civil War, Events, For photo fans, Genealogy/research, Linked in/neat stuff, Local journalism & Web, Local landmarks, Longtime York families, Mail bag, Music and musicians, Nostalgia & memories, People, The Pennsylvania Dutch, Uncategorized, War, Wheels of York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Camp David not far from York County border – Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 21, 2012

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Jim McClure

 More stuff below: Menges Mills Market/Famous rock groups/Pink tractors

Scores of southwestern York County residents were looking to the skies Friday evenings as fighter jets scrambled after two planes entered into the no-fly zone around Camp David, site of the G8 Summit. This FAA restricted zone map shows that Camp David no-fly zone reaches the Hanover area (Hanover is the yellow zone just above the box.) All this serves as a reminder the proximity of Camp David, in the Maryland hills, to York County – about 30 highway miles from Hanover. This proves once again that York County is the center of the universe. This headline gives the resolution of the pilots who flew into hallowed air: Secret Service: Grounded Cessna planes were not a threat; no arrests made. For more on the Camp David no-fly zone, check out:   Protecting skies of Camp David, feds are trying to enforce an unseen barrier . Also of interest: Shuttle Stories show that York County is, indeed, in the center of the universe.

Neat stuff from all over … .

Mandy Dyson, trundlecat@googlemail.com, lives a long way away – in Barnsley in the United Kingdom.

But she has a question about York, Pa.:

Continue reading →

Posted in All presidential stops, Archives, all posts, Explanations/controversy, Farms & fields, For photo fans, History video channel, Mail bag, Music and musicians, Nostalgia & memories, People, Small-town life, Uncategorized, York County aerial photos, York Revs/pros | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Several First Ladies have graced The Yorktowne Hotel. Which First Lady did not?

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Jim McClure


The Yorktowne Hotel, seeking to play on its rich history as part of its rebirth after financial problems, offers guests quizzes. Here is one of those fun tests. How would you answer this. (See correct answer below.) Also of interest: York without the Yorktowne Hotel? Unimaginable.

Yorktowne Hotel GM Rick Cunningham, sitting at a table in his coffee shop, took out a quiz about First Ladies who had visited York County’s premier hotel.

Actually, it was a quiz about which of five First Ladies had not visited the Yorktowne.

I obviously over thought the matter.

Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had been to York. Franklin Roosevelt did not stop here – he just passed through.

So clearly the answer was Eleanor Roosevelt. Continue reading →

Posted in All politics is local, All presidential stops, Archives, all posts, Famous York visitors, For photo fans, Local journalism & Web, Local landmarks, Nostalgia & memories, People, Quizzes & (fun) tests, Uncategorized, Women's history | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How will history remember this moment in York City schools?

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Jim McClure

The York City School District and community leaders are looking to the talents of Supt. Deborah Wortham, left, to provide leadership in very difficult financial times. Here, the superintendent is cheering on students and alumni playing William Penn High School songs in support of efforts to save the music, art, and athletic programs endangered the current city school financial crisis. (Click to enlarge. Also of interest: William Penn High School class of 1941′s last reunion: ‘The world is moving at warp speed’.

Will history remember this time in the York City School District as a turning point?

Is it a time when it hits rock bottom and rebounds? Or will it hit the floor and stay there?

It’s clearly a hinge point. Community leader Eric Menzer has called the district’s projected budget deficit not just a financial crisis but a moral crisis and a crisis of the will.

It’s a time when people and leaders from the corners of York County must gather themselves and support the city.

That’s not currently the case.

Continue reading →

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One photograph teaches lesson about change in York County: Linked in with neat York County history stuff, May 18, 2012

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Jim McClure

More stuff below: Refreshing West Market Street/102-year-old WW II vet/Booking signing

This photograph at a northern York County Interstate 83 interchange is packed with meaning. That’s a former one-room school in the background, signifying a different time, a time many people say was simpler and desirable. And the array of signs shows the complexity and confusion of today, a world full of competing options.  Some people want to go back to the one-room school days – literally and figuratively. But the world has changed, and those one-room school lessons wouldn’t cover, in the main, the demands of that world. The return to basic education theme is again in York County’s public square as school districts are struggling to balance budgets which contain many non-basic items. Interestingly, the Interstate went through in the 1950s, the same time those 300 one-room schools around York County were closing as new consolidated schools went up. A York Daily Record/Sunday News series tells an array of these stories from the areas off of the Interstate. Check out: Exit Interviews. Also of interest: York County one-room schools a graduate thesis waiting to happen.

Neat stuff from all over …

York countian Stephen H. Smith always sends along insightful emails.

The other day, he gave a brief history of the unknown Confederate soldier’s grave site along the Susquehanna River in comments on this post: The story of two missing York County grave markers. Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, all posts, Civil War, Events, Explanations/controversy, For photo fans, Linked in/neat stuff, Local journalism & Web, Local landmarks, Mail bag, Notable images, People, School days, Uncategorized, War, Women's history, York Revs/pros | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment