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
York-area developer: ‘I think we have gone way above and beyond to preserve Camp Security’
Several years ago, artist Lindsey Keeney gave this view of American Revolution prisoner-of-war Camp Security in present-day Springettsbury (Pa.) Township. British prisoners were detained inside the 15-foot stockade, and some would have lived in huts on the hillside. Background posts: … Continue reading
Old York County Boy Scout camp still teaching lessons
Camp Ganoga hasn’t operated since 1945, but the old Strinestown-area Boy Scout camp continues to evoke memories. Here, a group of Scouts sits on the Camp Ganoga waterfront – Conewago Creek. Background posts: Old Ganoga Bridge: ‘It is a highly … Continue reading
For years, KKK has tried to navigate the York County mainstream
Advertisements such as these were common in York County newspapers of the 1920s. Background posts: Criticism of Geno’s leads to ‘commie’ claim and Leonard Pitts speaking in York, Pa.: Sometimes, history hurts and York, Pa.: ‘It’s a midsize city with … Continue reading
Great Depression work: ‘It was the largest thesis in the history of the history department’
This video, part of the York Daily/Record Sunday News ‘Remember” oral history series, provides memories of the Great Depression. Background posts: It couldn’t happen in York County? Women were trampled in Depression-era labor unrest and Pre-World War II Thanksgiving holds … Continue reading
A short test of your York black history knowledge – Part III
Community leader W. Russell Chapman earned that reputation for his work in public office – and in the private sector. Read below to find out his public service. Background posts: A short test of your York black history knowledge – … Continue reading
Stack of books on York County’s Civil War past getting higher
This old Prospect Hill Cemetery gate frames Civil War Soldiers Circle, where many who died at the U.S. Military General Hospital in Penn Park were buried. Lila Fourhman-Shaull tells about some of the noted Civil War-era residents who were buried … Continue reading
Trivia quiz: Test your U.S. presidential smarts quiz
These images linked to the 1988 presidential campaign were among the first – or were perhaps the first – photographs to appear on the front page of the The York Dispatch since Theodore Roosevelt’s visit in 1906. Such trivia involving … Continue reading
Blue caboose in Red Lion? ‘Yes sir – it’s gonna be red’
A caboose made its way from Lancaster to the yard of Markey Trucking near Dallastown, Pa., in January. Eventually, it will be moved to the Red Lion Train Station Museum. Background posts: Old Baltimore tunnel an intriguing reminder of the … Continue reading
‘An Evening With William Goodridge’ in York, Pa.
John V. Jezierski’s “Enterprising Images, The Goodridge Brothers, African-American Photographers, 1847-1922″ is the most comprehensive look yet at William C. Goodridge and his family. Background posts: Underground Railroad expert: ‘We cannot alter past ignorance, but we can resolve not to … Continue reading
Civil War book: ‘When flames brilliantly illuminated the sky over the Susquehanna River’
Flames shoot from a grill atop a pier from the bridge that the Union Army burned in 1863 to stop the Confederate advance. Two subsequent bridges used those same now-empty piers. In recent years, re-enactors have simulated the burning of … Continue reading
