March 2007 Archives

These elegantly dressed citizens, perhaps disembarking from a ferry boat, appear to be enjoying themselves at a Susquehanna River landing. That appears to be the Wrightsville bridge -- the 1897 iron bridge -- in the background.

Carla Reinecker of Red Lion found some photos in her grandmother's belongings after she died.

She's having some trouble making IDs. The background of the above photo seems to give its location away.

The three photos below are more elusive... .

Union Gen. Judson Kilpatrick furiously rides back to Hanover after Jeb Stuart's Confederates slammed into the back of his column on the streets of that borough on June 30, 1863. Kilpatrick's column had reached Abbottstown when fighting began. After the ensuing Battle of Hanover stopped Stuart from linking up to Robert E. Lee, Stuart went the long way around through the heart of York County and finally connected with Lee on the afternoon of July 2.

A reader is searching for photos of John Ziegler's house/tavern located at the intersection of Green Valley and Panther Hill Road outside Seven Valleys... .

Camp Security, in present-day Springettsbury Township, probably resembled this British prisoner-of-war encampment in Charlottesville, Va. Some prisoners from this camp moved to Camp Security in 1781 when Cornwallis' redcoats moved northward into Virginia. Jonathan Stayer, who has written extensively on this era, will speak in York on Sunday about the holdings of the Pennsylvania State Archives, where he heads the reference section.

When Jonathan Stayer was a senior at Messiah College, he wrote an honor's thesis on Camp Security which remains the most authoritative single work written on the Revolutionary War POW camp.

Stayer's work on the Springettsbury Township camp (search Camp Security at www.ydr.com/history) remains unpublished, but the York County resident's attention to the topic makes the thesis an oft-referenced manuscript in the York County Heritage Trust archives.

He followed that work with a master's thesis that, in part, covered Hessians - mercenary soldiers fighting for the British - who remained behind in York County after their detention to become established York County families.

Residents will get a chance to hear Stayer speak Sunday at the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society SCPGS about the holdings of the Pennsylvania State Archives, where he heads the reference section. The meeting begins at 2:15 p.m. at the York County Heritage Trust, 250 E. Market St., York. (For a news story on the meeting, see: records.

This presentation features a number of records relating to York County, and it is directed more to a general audience than a genealogy group, Stayer says.

Stayer not only supervises a deep trove of resources at the archives, he is a living York County treasure.

The following is a tipsheet to give a broad-brush understanding of the State Archives, part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission PHMC. :

Barbara Forgas discovered what is believed to be American Indian artwork behind the walls of a bathroom in a Lewisberry, York County, home. See another view below.

Did you catch the story about the Lewisberry woman who found four, 8-foot panels bearing images of American Indians inside a bathroom she was remodeling? (See video at art in action).

Frank Littlebear, a York County resident and member of the Cree Nation, believes the panels might be ledger art - paintings designed to tell a story or mark an event... .

The Civil War monument in York's Penn Park, seen in this post card view facing south, was a topic in a 1912 history book given to columnist Gordon Freireich. The book listed Freireich's merchant-family, filling in some blanks in his family's history.

York Sunday News columnist Gordon Freireich provides interesting stories of York every week in the newspaper's Viewpoints section.

Sometimes, he brings the reader back to another time in York, as he did in this past Sunday's column: York history book... .

Larry and Constance Clowers, of Gettysburg, portray Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia. They do hundreds of programs each year, including a recent appearance in Hanover. Here, they play their roles during lunch at a McDonald's in York.

When U.S. Grant visited York County recently Channeling the Grants, it wasn't the first time he graced its borders.

Just as did his 21st-century re-enacting counterpart, the real U.S. Grant, the newly elected U.S. president, stopped in Hanover on his way to his first Gettysburg visit.

A defective locomotive caused the unscheduled stop.

(Grant was following the same path as Abraham Lincoln did five years before, moving along the Hanover Branch Railroad between Hanover Junction and Gettysburg. When one views the bucolic York/Adams farmland where the railroad ran, it's hard to imagine that the world's most famous people passed through there.)

We pick up the account about Grant's Hanover visit from "Never to be Forgotten" local history book here:

This is the earliest known extant copy of the German-language Die York Gazette. The York Daily Record points to this newspaper as its forerunner.

I was working on a chronology for Mary Alliene Hamilton's biography of longtime newspaper owner J.W. Gitt when I dealt with an inconsistency for the 100th time.

Gitt consistently dated his Gazette and Daily to 1795. I've never been able to discover a source for this. The best I've ever been able to do is just state when the first surviving Gazette was published. That was No. 14, dated May 20.

Counting backwards, that would place the first publication in early 1796, assuming weekly publication. But short of additional evidence coming forward, who knows if the German-language newspaper consistently published weekly? (Anyone out there have additional evidence?)

The wonderful fact is the York Daily Record is one of America's oldest newspapers -- in the top 15 last time I checked.

So, you can see how I dealt with it below, as well as other key years in the Gazette and York Daily Record/Sunday News' history:

Joyce Fix's research agrees with what Russell Horn Jr. Yo! has found about the origins of Yoe borough's name.

Here's her take:

Reading your article Sunday column about the town of Yoe made me start to shuffle though all my history of early Yoe... .

So, I made the point in a York Sunday News column that White Oak Park (The Oaks) was to the north side what Shady Dell (The Dell) was to the south side of York: The Dell.

Primo teen hangouts in the 1960s and later.

White Oak Park was in the vicinity of the Masonic Lodge, north of York. (Someone explained to me that Interstate 83 and its interchange caused major changes in the terrain around there.)

Where was The Dell? (For photo, see teen hangout.)

On the hill overlooking Violet Hill and South George Street near the intersection of Old Baltimore Pike and Shady Dell Road.

But I'll shut up and let the York Daily Record's Mike Argento describe The Dell, taken from his article at the time the hangout's furnishings were auctioned in 1993:

Ann Small Niess, resident of the Elmwood Mansion from 1923-1947, writes about the intriguing East York structure in a book released this week. The mansion now serves as a conference center for Memorial Hospital. For story, see grand tour.

The Elmwood House has long been one of York's most interesting mansions.
It is reported to have an Underground Railroad past. Gray soldiers camped on its grounds during the Confederate occupation of York. Happenings there have spawned ghost stories.

It was long the home of one of York's most prominent families -- the Smalls.

Now, longtime resident there, Ann Small Niess, has authored a 146-page book detailing the house from the inside out. It's available at Memorial Hospital's gift shop.

Ann Small Niess is still looking to plug a hole in the book. When was the house moved from its original location in the vicinity of present-day Memorial Hospital to where it sits today near Interstate 83? It was moved intact on greased logs in the early 1900s, and set on a pre-excavated basement.

I'll blog further on the book, but wanted to get its availability out as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, here's insight about how to move a house: ...

This front page is an example of the treasures found in microfilm. It shows TMI shortly before the accident in 1979 disabled Unit No. 2. It is possibly one of the last newspaper photographs to capture the scene in which steam was rising from No. 2's cooling towers. Today, steam rises from Unit 1's towers, and Unit 2's stacks are partially dismantled.

The availability of newspaper microfilm is among the questions most posed to the York Daily Record/Sunday News.

Lee Hoffheins from Glen Rock, for example, e-mailed us this week thinking Daily Record archives went back only as far as 1985.

He was in luck... .

The old Jamison school.

Dolores Krick recognizes the photo above, queried by a reader.

It's the old Jamison School, and it's on her property.

She supplied information on the school, responding to an earlier post mystery building:

Someone asked where they could get a copy of the "Making History" and "Black History" special publications that the Daily Record/Sunday News has produced. (See histories).

"Making History" tells the story of Crispus Attucks Community Center's first 75 years, and "Black History" profiles achievers with links to York County.

Copies can be picked up at Crispus Attucks Community Center or YCCAR's office. Educators may call Kelly Barnett, York Newspaper Co.'s NIE coordinator, at kbarnett@ync.com.

I will have copies with me at a booksigning at Borders set for 1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 24. I'll be joining six other local authors at Border's Whiteford Road store in York, and welcome the chance to talk. Seven signers.

Or hand out free special publications on local history... .

Helen Reeves Thackston reads to children at Crispus Attucks Early Learning Center, which she headed from 1932-1964. A park in York is named in honor of Helen Thackston. Thackston Park. Thackston deserves a place in any history of York County.

In a column Sunday, I outlined three York Daily Record/Sunday News special sections that tell about the history of undercovered York County communities:

-"Making history," the story of Crispus Attucks Community Center.
- "Black History," profiles on achievers with links to York County.
- "Women's History," short stories on up-and-comers and veterans from the county's past.

Ten thousand copies of each are being distributed to classrooms participating in Newspapers in Education. For details, see my column: York's words of wisdom, and much material from the publications is available at www.ydr.com/history.

To give a flavor of some of the content of the publication, the following three poems come from "Making history."

York County's unknown Union soldier rests in Prospect Hill Cemetery.

But his gray counterpart lies in a remote spote near the Susquehanna River. At least that's the story.

Here's what I wrote in "East of Gettysburg" about the rebel soldier buried on the York County side of the Susquehanna, in the Accomac area:

Any insight into this old structure? (See photo from another angle below.)

Robert Creech has a question.

"Could someone help me out with this? My wife and I travel York County backroads alot, taking pictures of the countryside and such. We were on Frosty Hill Road in York and came upon the attached building (pictured above).

It appears to be a church or school, but I am not sure. I was wondering if there is anyone who could give me any information about this building? ...

The P.A. and S. Small hardware store and headquarters for the firm's vast 19th century enterprises presides over market day. (Drawing courtesy of York County Heritage Trust.)

It is a case where the city should have left well enough alone.

The P.A. and S. Small building on the northeast corner of Market and George in York (see photo above) certainly outranks its successors as a fit for York's downtown... .

This headstone marks the spot of a Yankee soldier in Prospect Hill Cemetery. It's taken from the York County Heritage Trust's "A Walking Tour of Civil War-Era Residents."

The story of an unknown Union soldier originally interred at Emig's Grove Camp Meeting grounds, south of Mount Wolf, raises questions on occasion, including one last week from a reader.

He quoted historian John Gibson: "In one corner of the grounds, in a secluded spot, is a mysterious tomb of a soldier of the civil war. It has been sympathetically remembered by some patriotic members of the Camp Meeting Association, and marked by a neat and appropriate headstone.

His remains were found and interred near the spot, about the time that the Confederate Gen. Early took possession of York, but 'of his name and his fame no one can tell.'
He was clad in the uniform of a Union soldier, the buttons of which contained the coat of arms of Pennsylvania, and his cap the number 65."

In the booklet "A Walking Tour of Civil War-Era Residents at Prospect Hill Cemetery," Lila Fourhman-Shaull links the Emigs Grove site with York's Prospect Hill Cemetery... .

Hedy Lamarr stumps for bond sales at York Safe & Lock's ordnance plant in 1942. Those buildings make up part of Harley-Davidson's Springettsbury Township complex.

Hedy Lamarr's visit to York Safe & Lock's naval ordnance plant in 1942 was one of many landmark events occurring at that site.

"I came here to sell war bonds. You came here to see what that 'dame' Hedy Lamarr looks like. Hitler and Hirohito are not interested in that," she told the crowd... .

Charles E. Williams was one 570 or more men in uniform who died in World War II, probably the highest county death toll in any war. He was one of six brothers to serve in uniform in World War II. An American Legion post on East Princess Street honored him by taking his name. Background posts: York County sacrificed on homefront and war front and All WWII posts from the start and 20 questions and answers to prove your York County WWII smarts.

The tally of deaths of fighting men in uniform in Middle East fighting with York County ties thus far stands at more than 20.

That includes Neil C. Roberts, who died on a ridge in Afghanistan in 2002, the first casualty in the War Against Terrorism.

How does that count compare with casualties in other wars? ...

William Penn Senior High students view a trailer of 'This Magnificent Moment,' a documentary of the 1960s soul band The Magnificent Men, compiled by social historian David Zang of Towson, Md. The short film included samples of the all-white band's music and interviews with band members who played black venues in Philadelphia, New York and Detroit.

The Mag Men was one of the most successful bands with ties to York in the 1960s.

They scored a recording contract with Capitol records. They played soul music in venues where black musicians were denied. And they played locations where black musicians were accepted including the Apollo Theater in Harlem, including a set backing James Brown.

Now, those seeking to restoke memories of the soul band can see a trailer of an upcoming documentary on the group at mag men. (If you want to discuss the group and trailer, see exchange.)

Dave Bupp and Buddy King, homegrown members of the group, were inducted into the William Penn High School Hall of Fame. Bupp, 64, graduated in 1960, and King, 59, graduated in 1965.

A York Daily Record story on their induction into the William Penn High School Hall of Fame in 2006 follows: ...

Leonard Pitts Jr., whose column appears regularly in the York Daily Record/Sunday News, speaks before a full house at Crispus Attucks.

Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts proved to be as thought-provoking as a speaker as he is as a writer in a recent speech in York. See Pitts gets them talking.

His comments drew a standing ovation at York County Community Against Racism's annual meeting. See YCCAR.

I've broken out a couple of main points below, followed by an edited text of his speech.

Provocative point: I was 19 years old and I liked my anger. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will admit that there is something empowering about being angry, about being the righteous person who has been done wrong. Being the victim feels good. I also liked the guilt I saw in Dave. Because when you’re angry, seeing guilt in those you’re angry at validates you, confirms you in your sense of being the injured party, the victim.

As I say, I was a teenager and so, a little shortsighted. I didn’t understand that anger is a corrosive thing... . But ultimately guilt is as much a corrosive as anger. After all, anything that makes you feel guilty you will eventually resent.

Incisive excerpt: You know what? Sometimes, history hurts. We need to understand that truth and make peace with it. We all want to partake of history when it makes us feel good, when it flatters our national pride. We have no problem bearing witness for the D-Day invasion and believing this says something about us as a nation. Bearing witness for Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill and believing this says something about us as a nation, bearing witness for the Marshall Plan, the moon landing, and the First Amendment and believing these things say something about us as a nation.

We are less inclined to bear witness for slave catchers and men in white hoods, for voting rights violations and restrictive housing covenants, less likely to want to believe that these things, too, say something about us as a nation. But they do.

Provocative conclusion: If you are an American, can you stare into that picture and know that you are heir to a history that is pain and promise, trauma and triumph and you can’t choose the one and ignore the other. You are not heir to part of the story. You are heir to the whole story.

James Cameron told me that once, in Israel he saw an inscription that said, “To remember is salvation. To forget is exile.”

“An oppressed people,” he told me, “find their strength and identity in remembering their passages.”

Will you help me bear witness for that?

His speech follows:

Was Lt. William Daniel, the rebel officer slain at Gettysburg whose tooth made the news recently, ever in York County? See soldier's tooth found.

Scott Mingus, author of a soon-to-be-published "The Gordon Expedition, Flames Beyond Gettysburg," says no. See human interest stories.

But the man who came up with the tooth, William T. King, was here... .

This tooth came from a South Carolina officer.

Civil War enthusiasts should take note of our story on the tooth of William L. Daniel, a Confederate lieutenant, killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. See a tiny bite of history.

Intriguing stuff.

To find the eventual resting place for the tooth, click here.

This photo, from the York County Heritage Trust archives, challenges the myth that women entered the workforce for the first time because of necessities of World War II. Here, Stauffer Biscuit Company workers are seen in 1910.

A highlight of the D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Co. exhibit is the York Safe & Lock strongbox formerly used by the venerable York County bakery.

Those viewing the exhibit at the York County Heritage Trust's Agricultural and Industrial Museum get a close up look at what put Forry Laucks' York Safe & Lock on the map. It appears similar to the safe restored by York County government last year... . (See safe restored.)

The owner of Round the Clock Diner is developing this neighborhood across the road. A Sheetz convenience store will be constructed there.

The struggling residential neighborhood southeast of the Interstate 83 and Route 30 intersection will someday be smooshed to make way for something else. See wrecking ball.

Perhaps it was inevitable that the stranded neighborhood would wither. I-83 severed its connection with North York, and it's surrounded by highway, businesses and the Codorus Creek.

Driving its uneven streets, the neighborhood is a bit like a village that time forgot. Roads that previously ran into North York dead end at the interstate. An uninviting walkway or drainage culvert or some such tunnels under the highway... .

This is a section of the panel painted by artist H.L. Leopold as part of a 1950s York County Courthouse expansion project. The York County Heritage Trust is assuming ownership of the painting.

So, the York County Heritage Trust is the recipient of another Mural of York. Well, it's kind of an unofficial Mural of York.

The organization already oversees the 18 large-scale panels and numerous Cherry Lane mini-murals. Colorful panels.

This time, it's the mural that pleased visitors to the York County Courthouse for years. It shows various county iconic people and scenes: Declaration of Independence signer James Smith, steamboat builder John Elgar, and surveyor Thomas Cookson, among others... . Trust gets painting.