About this blog
I've been editor of the York (Pa.) Daily Record/Sunday News for 8 years and managing editor of the newspaper for 15 years before that. So, York Town Square explores the rapidly changing world of journalism. And I studied York/Adams' history in graduate school, have written six books about these fascinating southcentral Pennsylvania counties and serve on the York County (Pa.) Heritage Trust board. So, this blog deals with regional history. Often, journalism and history meet here. They're part of a continuum anyway. My hope is that this site intrigues readers on both accounts in giving a daily dose of journalism/history. Or history/journalism. Contact me at jem@ydr.com or become friends on Facebook or follower on Twitter, @JamesMcClure.
Monthly Archives: July 2006
Lawmakers shared in American Revolution’s adversity
With the growing fun connected with the newly branded York Revolution minor league baseball team, it’s easy to forget the sacrifices that came with the American Revolution. The best estimate is that 4,000 York County men fought in uniform in … Continue reading
Batter up, pass the hot dog: York relishes the Revolution
The naming of York’s new baseball team the “York Revolution” ties into the community’s most cherished moment — the nine months that the Continental Congress visited York County in 1777-78. What’s the evidence that York relishes its Revolutionary War past … Continue reading
Ghost tours dishonor York’s Civil War heritage
When he was growing up, a longtime student of York County history said recently, he never heard about York’s embarrassment after the town’s fathers surrendered to the Confederates before the Battle of Gettysburg in late-June 1863. He kind of scoffed … Continue reading
Speeding trolley cars drew criticism
Nostalgia about York’s trolleys might obscure memories about their dangers. Two incidents in Dallastown in 1902, taken here from “Never to be Forgotten,” give a glimpse into life along the far-flung lines:
Transportation of workers fueled York County’s trolley system
Several reminders of York County’s once-far-flung electric trolley network remain. Former red-brick car shops are hidden on the Avenues in York. Trolley Road runs through West Manchester Township. A former trolley bridge can be seen along Susquehanna Trail in Violet … Continue reading
York’s Doctors Row continues to intrigue folks
An e-mailer queried us for information on Doctors Row, a couple of blocks on York’s West Market Street that for decades served as offices for medical practitioners. I sent her several articles from our library system http://www.ydr.com/search?vertical=archive, but one stood … Continue reading
John Adams: ‘Yesterday the greatest question was decided’
John Adlum, a diarist, placed the arrival of the Declaration of Independence in York on the evening of July 6, 1776. James Smith, York’s signer, and two other men brought it to York, then called York Town, for a reading. … Continue reading
