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: September 2009
Chipmaking of the potato kind has deep roots in York County
A Martin’s Potato Chips employee fills a seasoning hopper at the company’s Thomasville-area plant in this York Daily Record/Sunday News file photo from 2004. Martin’s makes one of York County’s iconic products. (See additional photo below.) Also of interest: York’s … Continue reading
Springettsbury Township corner bears witness to changing face of America
The Meadowbrook Mansion looms in the background as folks and their mounts mug for the camera. That area of Springettsbury Township, Pa., has seen farms and businesses come and go for decades. Also of interest: From top dog and hot … Continue reading
York’s Lafayette Club: ‘It’s not your father’s club … It’s historic. But it’s not prehistoric’
This mural in the Lafayette Club shows York, Pa., soon after the Marquis de Lafayette visited the town in 1825. Lafayette returned to York about 50 years after his first visit, when he publicly supported George Washington during trying military … Continue reading
For 15 years, old Kelsey Airstrip atop York Township hilltop flat spot for local pilots
A Pennsylvania National Guard helicopter takes off from a field near the then-York Township, Pa., municipal building and York Area Regional Police Department in 2004. Helicopters flown by the Guard’s Counter Drug Program help police spot marijuana plants. This is … Continue reading
Bury’s Famous Hamburgers stand offers best burger in York Fair bout
This photograph ran in the York Sunday News right after New Year’s Day in 2000, and its caption noted that the last of the Bury’s 11 York-area restaurants closed in 1986. In a sense, Joe Bury’s popular hamburger stands out-McDonalded … Continue reading
Click on the National Register of Historic Places link and enjoy a tour of York County historic sites
The 1901 book ‘York and York County’ included this photo of the vaulted basement of Cresap’s Fort or Dritt Mansion. The restored Long Level structure perched along the Susquehanna River south of Wrightsville, Pa., today is headquarters for Susquehanna Gateway … Continue reading
York factory’s lines ranged from Moneybak black silk to boys pajamas
Matthew Garrett Collins served as general manager of York Silk Manufacturing Co.’s two factories in York’s east end at the turn of the 20th century. The fortress-like Hay Street building that stands today has made a mark on the memories … Continue reading
Ma & Pa Railroad Locomotive No. 2 lost by a landslide in York Township
A mud slide caused this train accident on the Ma & Pa Railroad at the Ben Roy Station between Red Lion and York. Also of interest: Collector searching for Western Maryland Railroad memorabilia and Old Baltimore tunnel an intriguing reminder … Continue reading
Since its earliest years, Farquhar Park has represented a hilltop prize in York, Pa.
Mary Anne Bacas, of the Avenues Neighborhood Association, is seen at the Farquhar Park gazebo in 2006. The gazebo, or bandstand, has been the scene of vandalism since its restoration in the past decade. (See another view from the gazebo … Continue reading
