This cover of Norma Bear Gates' second book on the village of Zion View bears a road sign that underscores its spelling without an "s." Also of interest: Airplane beacon helped spot whereabouts of Conewago Township's Zion View and 100th anniversary of drunken Pleasureville brawl and A Zion View moment to remember: The night the furnace 'blew'.
Yorkblogger Joan Concilio is asking Only York viewers to rate the "Zs" as part of her ABCs of York County series.
So, that prompted one reader - Dianne Bowders - to query about one of the options: Is it Zion View or Zions View?
She pointed out:
"Maps: DeLorme has it as 'Zions View', but ADC has it as 'Zion View'. Franklin Maps has 'Zion View', while Mobil Travel Guide has it as 'Zions View'. PA Tourism and Transportation Map has 'Zions View'.
"Hmmm...Looks like one of those Hellam and Hallam problems.
And she added: "My husband is a map nut."
I wrote back that Norma Bear Gates has written two books on Zion View, and she goes without the "s."
Who would ever question a former school teacher?
Of course, she has an old road sign to back her up.
The South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society's "Gazetteer of York and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania," suggests that the "s" entered the scene when a post office operated there from 1894 to 1905. The publications resolve the problem by listing both spellings.
Actually, Zion View - and its charming quality of life - has more problems than its proper name.
Warehousing is going up in fields faster than the "knee high by the Fourth of July" corn crops of old.
Still Norma Bear Gates' poem "A Final Note" prevails:
"THIS NOW concludes my hometown taile OF folks and things which did prevail; 'BOUT hist'ry thru the century past RECALLED, passed on, that long may last.REMEMB'RING times - some good, some worse -
SO, as we greet the twenty-first
WE'LL know, first hand, this small town's lore,
THE "... way it was" and even MORE.THE way it is -- right now TODAY,
IN country place -- ZION VIEW, PA."
Not to influence Joan Concilio's poll, but Zion View deserves your vote as the best of the Zs.
Poll-fixing? Shame on you! Especially since I am secretly rooting for Zimmy's.
Adding to the confusion, Zion or Quickel('s) church for which the area is named says:
"Originally "Zion" was to be the church's name; however, there was never a time when it was known by anything other than Quickel's. Still, the gables read "Zion Kirche 1850" and the village was named Zion View because it overlooked the church."
But lists their address as: "Quickel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Zions View, Pennsylvania"
Zion View. That's the correct name of my home town.