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: February 2009
Web site inventories York County, state, national grist mills
Longtime Cross Mill operator Harry Cross is seen in this file photo in the York Daily Record/Sunday News archives. Cross transferred ownership of the mill to York County in 1979. (See photo of the mill-turned-museum below.) Background posts: Philip King … Continue reading
Underground Railroad museum in York would honor achievements of William C. Goodridge
Crispus Attucks Association’s Cindy Leiphart can be seen in a room in the former home of William C. Goodridge that was reportedly used to hide fugitive slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. A hole in the floor above the … Continue reading
‘Flames Beyond Gettysburg’ available at York County booksellers
Union engineer Herman Haupt quickly rebuilt this bridge near Hanover Junction after invading Confederates burned it in late June 1863. This Library of Congress photo appears in the just-released “Flames Beyond Gettysburg,” which tells about the Confederate raid. Background posts: … Continue reading
Duke and Duchess of Windsor rolled through York in 1941
The York (Pa.) Dispatch reported on a celebrity train passing through York in September 1941. Background posts: From York, Pa. to inside the beltway, politicos, celebrities got no friend and What did Tiny Tim and Richard Nixon have in common? … Continue reading
Fastnachts are a York County delicacy. But how are Fastnachts different from donuts?
Fastnachts (fost-nokts) await transport to customers at the Stewartstown, Pa., Senior Center on Fastnaucht Day. (See additional York Daily Record/Sunday News photos below.) Background posts: Classes offer rare op to learn Pennsylvania Dutch – Part II and PS Harrisburg grad … Continue reading
Suicide story: York hotel proprietor ‘found a package that had contained about a quarter of a pound of Paris green’
A multiple-deck headline in The York Dispatch on Tuesday evening, Oct. 6, 1891, tells how a man took his life. Such detailed stories were common in that day. Background posts: West York ritualistic suicide forgotten by many, but investigators remember … Continue reading
A short test of your women’s history knowledge, Part II
Former Chief County Detective Becky Downing, shown here in her 1997 York City Police trading card, was a pioneering police officer. She’s also an answer to this year’s women’s history quiz. Background posts: World War II propaganda posters raised spirits, … Continue reading
Did Autumn Lau gain top area basketball scoring record? Answer is below.
Northeastern’s Autumn Lau (42) celebrates after scoring her 2,000th point against Dover in early January. She has since become the leading girls’ scorer in York County’s basketball history. Background posts: York athlete series: ‘Arguably the best girls’ volleyball player the … Continue reading
Classes offer rare op to learn Pennsylvania Dutch – Part II
Ken Stough, left, instructor for the Pennsylvania Dutch language classes, talks with Butch Reigart during a class at Providence Place near Dover. Reigart, formerly of York County, is teaching an upcoming Lancaster-based Pennsylvania German course. Background posts: Der Belsnickel of … Continue reading
