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: October 2006
The day York countians looked forward to tax time
Q. Was there ever a time that York County residents supported a tax? A. Yes. Can you believe it? But you have to go back a few years… .
Lorann Jacobs sculpts York County legacy
Lewis Miller, 19th-century artist/carpenter, left a rich legacy of drawings documenting 19th-century York County. Because of his work, we know more about what life was like around here in the 1800s. It’s fun to try to figure out who will … Continue reading
Spring Garden Township’s Elmwood Mansion move led to shapely dinner crowd
A footnote to the last York Town Square post on moving the Elmwood Mansion in 1905: As the three-story Spring Garden Township house was rolling along on its 800-foot journey atop greased logs, Catherine Small Keesey and others in her … Continue reading
When mules moved a York County mansion
Memorial Hospital’s Elmwood Mansion has not always been at its current site near Interstate 83 in Spring Garden Township. It originally stood about where Memorial Hospital now stands. Ann Small Niess, whose family owned the house for decades, is writing … Continue reading
Where did Camp Betty Washington Road get its name?
With housing growing in York Township’s Ore Valley like mile-a-minute vines and a construction project planned at the Mount Rose Interchange, Camp Betty Washington Road has been in the news. What was Camp Betty Washington and who loaned her name … Continue reading
Essayist profiles champion for the blind
Russell A. Wentz’s 90-plus years have allowed him to cross paths with many people of importance in York County’s past. His memories of Henry E. Lanius, longtime state legislator from Spring Grove and champion for the visually impaired, are still … Continue reading
Accidental death hits York County family – again
The York Daily Record’s story on Steven E. Stauffer’s recent death – after he fell 20 feet from a tree stand – contained a sentence that brought back memories. It said Stauffer, 27, of Dover, was about the same age … Continue reading
Church’s story links up with U.S. religious history
In 1999, Ron Hershner wrote “Cross Roads: A History and Reminiscenses,” an insightful story of a York County town. Now, the York attorney and authority on southeastern York County has turned out the best history of a single county congregation … Continue reading
Vietnam vets wall moves York countians
The Moving Wall provide a moving moment for many during its recent stay in Fawn Grove. The half-size replica of the Washington, D.C., Vietnam Veterans Memorial reminded visitors of the 101 York countians who went but did not return. About … Continue reading
Driver invades Jefferson’s quiet square
A York Daily Record story on an errant driver’s crash into Jefferson’s peaceful town square last week indicated that the main monument was untouched. The square’s big monument, topped by a World War I soldier, celebrates the two Jefferson men … Continue reading
