Neat stuff from all over … .

The English king’s land grant to William Penn is going to be displayed at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission news release said the original 1681 Penn Charter is sometimes called the state’s birth certificate. It will be exhibited March 3 through March 11.

The release states the parchment is fragile and will be  shown behind a protective shield, with low light and controlled temperature.

There is no admission charge on March 11.

Jerry Cohen passes away: The last known surviving member of the local Jewish World War II veterans group died in December.

Paul J. Cohen, known as Jerry, died Dec. 23.

“He served as the commander of Alexander D. Good Post #205 Jewish War Veterans, York, where he was the last living member,” his obituary stated. For more, see his obituary.
Blog post of the day: Cannonball’s Scott Mingus previews upcoming York Civil War Roundtable presenter Debra Sandoe McCauslin. She’ll discuss Black Voices of Gettysburg.

Forum of the day: People are identifying road and other such problems in our Fix York County interactive blog.

The location of the scene: That’s the Codorus Creek valley from a vantage point north of Dover along Sky Top Trail. The scene overlooks Harmony Grove Road and on south into the Codorus valley, actually the valley carved by Kreutz/Codorus and Conewago creeks -  York County’s central valley.

*Photo by Robert McClure

A York Daily Record/Sunday News Newsmaker piece (2/19/12) discussed the green connection in the intersection of the Voith runner and the cyclist on the rail trail. (See that discussion below.)

Meanwhile, there’s another point to that intersection.

Voith was founded by noted York manufacturer S. Morgan Smith in the Industrial Revolution. Or at least Voith is one of four offshoots of the original S. Morgan Smith company. It’s an old, heavy manufacturer, literally, maker of big turbine blades, or runners, among other big things.

But it’s found a way to navigate in a world that is increasingly appreciating environment friendly water power. Meanwhile, a biker represents a newer industry – tourism.

As the older industries in large factories consolidate or downsize or close, the recreation industry has been growing. Rail trails – the recycling of old rail and trolley lines – represent the promise of that sector.

And now, the YDR/YSN’s discussion on the runner/biker intersection:

“At the left in the image … there’s a tractor-trailer carrying a 150-ton turbine runner at 4 mph from Voith Hydro to the Holtwood dam – part of an expansion project to double the dam’s power output.

“At the right there’s a cyclist on the rail trail. Both headed toward an intersection.

“Bicycles and turbines are both at the intersection of green power.

“This Holtwood expansion is a great project, bringing local jobs and more non-greenhouse electricity. Definitely worth the traffic tie-ups the slow-moving load caused last week.

“Don’t like being stuck behind a slow-moving truck? Get on your bike.”

 Also of interest:

- See a video of the slow-moving Voith runner caravan in action, plus a map of its route.

- Vermont windmill: ‘That turbine was built at the S. Morgan Smith company, right here in York’

The giant runner crosses Spring Garden Township.

Malachy, the tiny dog who scored big at the Westminster Kennel Club show, is York County’s newest celebrity.

The residence of the dog, originally reported to live in East Berlin, Adams County, actually lives in Washington Township, out near where York meets Adams County.

It’s one of York County’s least populated and most beautiful areas.

What is the region in and around East Berlin known for other than the home of Malachy?

Here are two:

Actor Eddie Albert visited there and Cold War theorist George Kennan lived there. Visit these respective posts: East Berlin veterans spotlighted ‘Green Acres’ Eddie Albert‘s heroism in World War II and ‘X-Man,’ historian George F. Kennan no stranger to Berlin, Germany – and East Berlin, Pa.

It’s also interesting that this bucolic region is the birthplace of the a major automobile company of old – Studebakers.

It all goes to show that even in the most remote areas of York County and the area surrounding it, history happened.

Here are two Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission markers noting this Studebaker link:

1. John Studebaker View
Dedicated: Monday, December 06, 1948
County: Adams
Location: Oxford Rd. (SR 1015), just off PA 234, 1/2 mile E of Heidlersburg

Marker Text: Had his wagon works 2.5 miles SE of here, 1830 to 1836, when he moved west. In 1852 his sons formed the Studebaker Company, the world’s largest maker of horse-drawn vehicles and, in 1897, a pioneer in the automobile industry.
2. Studebaker Home View
Dedicated: Saturday, August 15, 1970
County: Adams
Location: 200 W. King St. (PA 234) W of Abbottstown St. (PA 194), East Berlin

Marker Text: Built ca. 1790 by David Studebaker, carpenter, farmer, and minister. He was related to the family that later built wagons and automobiles. The house is privately maintained as a museum.

The creek from the worship area near Bermudian Church of the Brethren.

*Photos by Robert McClure

A Gordon Freireich column in the York Sunday News about a C.S. Davidson-produced map of York’s Continental Square in 1933 was a talker, as we call such high-discussion stories/photos in our business.

And now C.W. Davidson has come back with a reimagined map – reminding one of  3-D – of York’s Continental Square and elsewhere in the city.

Davidson’s Thomas B. Englerth II wrote in an op ed piece in today’s York Sunday News explaining the revised map:

“Several weeks ago, columnist Gordon Freireich presented a map of center city York, compiled by C.S. Davidson in 1933, that demonstrated just how dynamic the heart of the community was in that era.

“Freireich called the hand-lettered map – which identified almost 200 commercial properties with a smattering of private residences in the four-block area – an “amazing artifact,” and we agree.

“After seeing this snapshot of our city’s – and our company’s – history from nearly 80 years ago, we thought we’d explore how this map might look today, given not only downtown’s current business roster, but also C.S. Davidson’s new technologies.

“Today, rather than drawing our maps by hand, C.S. Davidson uses technology like Google Maps and Google Earth to build a geographic information system (GIS) for creating, managing, analyzing and visualizing the data associated with developing and managing infrastructure. The map then becomes an interactive multi-layer tool that allows us to delve deeper than a 2D map ever could.

“We invite you to visit www.csdyork2012map.com and explore our reimagined map of downtown York today, where we believe you can still feel the pulse of the city beat.

“Central Market, JustBrenda Art Studio, White Rose Bar and Grill, Camera Center of York, Sunrise Soap Company, Esaan Thai Restaurant, Kimman’s for Gifts, Cherie Ann Designs and Eudaimonia Tea Bar, Just Cupcakes, Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, The Stage Deli, Bistro 19, Mudhook Brewing Company and a new courthouse all stand on today’s map.

“Perhaps the largest change the downtown landscape has seen?

“The building of Sovereign Bank Stadium on George Street.

“And soon we’ll be making way for new additions like the Marketview Arts Center on Philadelphia Street, the Good Dog Taproom in the historic National House and the Cherry Lane Food and Vendor Court on Market Street.

“The footprint of our city may have changed, but the variety, quality and uniqueness of the businesses in our downtown have not.

“At C.S. Davidson, we’re proud to call downtown York home and to have grown and changed along with our city. From hand-drawn maps in 1933 to three-dimensional technologies in 2012, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to civil engineering excellence daily and have developed a reputation for delivering a broad range of the highest-quality professional services possible.

“We’d like to say thank you to Gordon Freireich for submitting that wonderful piece of downtown York’s (and C.S. Davidson’s) history and for reminding us how far we have come.”

Some key links:

-  Original map with Gordon Freireich‘s column.

- My blog post on original map.

- Thomas Englerth’s guest column with revised map:  ‘Remapping York.’

- Direct link to revised map.

Enlarged version of reimagined map.

The original map. Enlarged version available: Mapping York.

Neat stuff from all  over … .

Who was Mrs. Link from York?

Ruthe Craley is looking to answer that question.

Here’s her email:

“In a Gettysburg Times column about things happening 100 years ago, they spoke about the College Orchestra playing a benefit performance and a ‘Mrs. Link from York’ also appeared.

“My father (noted Gettysburg College history professor Robert B. Fortenbaugh) was in that orchestra when he was at College …. people can’t imagine that part of  his life … and I am trying to reconstruct as much as  possible. Can you identify her and  why she would have been on the program?”

If you can help Ruthe, contact her at: ruthecraley@embarqmail.com.

Then Ruthe provided an intriguing bit of information:

“Have I ever told you that I was baptized at the Hotel Yorktowne? Just a bit of trivia of no importance….. undoubtedly a first and only.”

We need to find out more about the story behind that.

Politics as unusual:  The York Daily Record/Sunday News is working with York College on a candidate’s night in which the public will talk and the candidates will listen. Check out the YDR Insider post: York County ‘Candidates Night to Listen’ will help develop a citizens’ agenda. Meanwhile, the YDR/YSN has launched a new elections/politics page in this presidential election year.

From Twitter about Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Craig Walker, formerly of York County: Meet Photographer of the Year @CraigFWalker of the @denverpost – Nice post by @charlesapple http://apple.copydesk.org/2012/02/15/denver-post-visuals-managing-editor-dont-listen-to-folks-who-say-newspapers-cant-do-photo-stories-these-days/.

The Reb yell: Gary Heiland,  garyprr@comcast.net, passed along a YouTube link to Confederate veterans reenacting their famous cry as they rushed toward the men in blue. Gary wrote: “think about 10,000 men doing this all at once.”

Blog post 0f the day: Buffy Andrews over at Buffy’s World has posted a crisp link salad: Don’t miss.

Forum of the day: York countians are discussing the rail overpass at Seven Valleys on yorkblog.com’s new Fix York County blog.

 The new sign in front of the Industrial Plaza of York. For a neat video of the unveiling by YDR/YSN’s Jason Plotkin, visit: Sign dedicates industrial plaza for York

The 30-something members of my OLLI class made up of interested 55-year-old-plus men and women will tour the York County’s Heritage Trust’s “Front Porch to Front Lines” exhibit next week.

I prepared a question-and-answer sheet for class members, which I share here. You might know many of the answers from your general knowledge of World War II and other 20th-century wars. Many of these points are covered in yorktownsquare.com’s war category.

See how you do:

Questions

1. This young woman from York County part of the exhibit because she died while working for the YMCA in World War I.

2. Whose head was on the receiving end of the hammer in World War I?

3. This decorated World War II officer was  sentenced to death in the Korean War for disobeying a command. Who was this longtime York resident.

4. This World War II soldier to cut a 1922 Liberty dollar in half and retained his half during the war. Who was he and why was 1922 significant?

5. Vets in the Vietnam War received no notable return celebration. How were Korean War vets received?

6. This Army corporal in the Vietnam War used an unusual item on which to write a letter home. What was that item?

7. Mary Appler Moon was a WAVE, given the duty of replacing a Navy man so he could do sea duty. In an oral history, she registered a complaint. What was her concern.

8. True or False: York County experienced no Vietnam War protests.

9. John and Adelaide Bennett sent how many sons off to World War II.

10. What does the “Road to Remembrance” plaque bearing the name of 1st Lt. Charles DeRahm represent?

11. The exhibit bears a roster of war memorials around York County. How many are accounted for?

Answers

A1. Jeannette Zinn.

A2. That would be a wooden effigy of Kaiser Wilhelm, king of the enemy forces. The slogan: “Nail the Kaiser.” Residents would pay for the nails to support the war effort.

A3. Leon Gilbert, commander of a black unit in the segregated Army, received a commutation of his death sentence.

A4. Voni B. Grimes was born in 1922. His wife kept the other half of the coin.

A5. There were no victory parades and little thanks for returning Korean War veterans, foreshadowing what would also happen in the next war. “In the end,” the exhibit states, “vets returned home to a war-weary nation … .”

A6. Skip Willis used a silk parachute as his “paper.”

A7. She complained that Ken Burns, in his documentary on World War II, made scarce mention of women and then only Rosie the Riveter.

A8: False: A piece of the exhibit portrays protesters at York College in 1970.

A9: Eight Bennett sons served, as well as  a daughter who put on a uniform in the Korean War.

A10: Those plaques honored those who died in uniform in World War I. They were affixed to trees along the old Lincoln Highway, now Route 462.

A11: The exhibit lists 33 memorials dotted in towns around the county.

*Photograph courtesy of the York Daily Record/Sunday News.

Neat stuff from all over … .

Record Tracker blog, Scott Blanchard’s entry on yorkblog.com, has posted news about old Pennsylvania birth and death records that became accessible this week:

“The state health department and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission are putting birth certificates from 1906 and death certificates from 1906-1961 online at the health department’s website; once on the site, click on “Birth and Death Certificates.” Each year, a new year’s worth of records will be added to the site.”

For more, check out : Old birth, death records  over at Record Tracker.

Top dog: Malachy from the East Berlin area is No. 1 at the Westminster Kennel Club’s show. OK, but he’s not the first celeb with ties to that area. Try:  ‘X-Man,’ historian George F. Kennan no stranger to Berlin, Germany – and East Berlin, Pa. and East Berlin veterans spotlighted ‘Green Acres’ Eddie Albert’s heroism in World War II

Abe is back: The statue of Abraham Lincoln returns to Gettysburg’s square after getting spruces up.

Major Leaguer dies: Gene Crumling, believed to be the oldest living former Major League baseball player in York and Adams counties, died recently. See Mike Argento’s: ‘RIP Gene ‘Lefty’ Crumling, one-hit wonder.’ Also, ‘Big league baseball fans from everywhere remember Gene Crumling.’

Blog site of the day: Record Tracker blog also carries a long list of  databases – York County property transfers, homicide map and district-by-district SAT results, among many other lists of information.

Forum of the day: Exchangers are commenting on the massive turbine making its way through York County to the Holtwood Dam hydroelectric plant in the Susquehanna River.

*For contact information about the newsletter, check out Codorus Valley Chronicles.

A newspaper reader from York recently emailed this thoughtful note:

“As a reader for many years, I would like to ask if you have ever considered downsizing your publication to be printed on tabloid-size paper? It would be easier to lay on the breakfast bars and tables as we eat and read every morning. It is hard for 2 people to read the paper simultaneously at the breakfast table! Just a suggestion!” …

I thought for a second that she was commenting on the fact that we had recently narrowed our web width, meaning the horizontal size of a newspaper page. We did that to save on newspaper costs (though by deploying unused white space on the pages, our readers did not lose any content.)

That brought me back to another moment when we changed the newspaper’s size to save newsprint. That came in the middle of World War II when newsprint was in tight supply. Her note also reminded me of a response we’ve given over the years when someone has posed that question.

Some York countians remember the days when the tabloid Gazette and Daily stood for far- left politics. The newspaper was for peace with Russia in the Cold War when hawkish views were more popular. J.W. Gitt’s Gazette and Daily was often called “red” and was unpopular in many quarters.

The York Daily Record/Sunday News, The Gazette and Daily’s successor, is far different today, seeking to be apolitical on its news pages and non-partisan on our opinion pages. So why return to a size that would fuel suspicions that we were something else?

Such Cold War memories have faded but have no plans to change to tabloid, as I outlined in my note back to our emailer:

“We’re not sure many of our readers – who are comfortable with what they’re getting today- would embrace a change of that magnitude!

“You might know that the Daily Record and its predecessor, the Gazette and Daily, was a tab from 1943 (to save paper during the war) and 1973. Unfortunately, some people remember us as a tabloid and the associated notion that we were a far left newspaper in those days – which we were.

“If we went back, some might see that as a shift back to that, which wouldn’t be popular in York County.

“That’s more of an explanation than you asked for.

“We do very much appreciate your suggestion.”

 Also of interest:

York, Pa., newspaper publisher J.W. Gitt: ‘Just say it … straight out’

A York Suburban High School graduate, Evan Sharp, is making headlines as the founder of the hot social media company Pinterest.

After the York Daily Record/Sunday News published a story about Evan Sharp’s successes, the news organization’s social media guru Buffy Andrews started experimenting with the site.

She posted photos of York County historic sites among many other boards on her Pinterest site.

Check out Buffy’s boards, and enjoy.

Trading Post  Photo posted by: Tim Silvey posted this photos on ydr.com’s Your Photos site with the note: ‘God only knows how many men,women,and children past through the doors of this old house, Otter creek area.’ Buffy Andrews, in turn, posted the photo in a gallery on her Pinterest site.

This vintage Christmas card appears on Buffy’s Pinterest site.

The photo above: The caption with this photo, original submitted to Your Photos, states: “In the early 1900s, this building housed transformers used to power one of the many trolley lines operating in York County, Pennsylvania.”

*Corrected, 2/14/12-2/16/12

Neat stuff from all over … .

A layout in the Weekly Record profiles vintage Valentines, a favorite of local collectors.

Here’s a brief history of Valentine cards, courtesy of the Weekly Record and about.com:

“Many of the earliest Valentines  were simply notes and letters handwritten on ordinary paper.

“Long before email, Twitter, store-bought and electronic cards, romantics used paper valentines to declare their love for that special person.

“By the 1700s, writing special notes and letters for Valentine’s Day had gained in popularity. A little more than 100 years later, companies began making special paper that was used to create valentines.

“These handmade declarations of love were often adorned with sketches and watercolors, pinpricks and cutouts, feathers and dried flowers, scraps of cloth, yarn, ribbon or even locks of hair.

“Valentines were popular in Britain, Germany, France and other parts of Europe, and by the late 1830s, mass-produced cards were available.

“The craze had already spread to the United States, so cards printed in Europe began showing up here as well, and within a few years American-made cards were available, too.

“Those early cards were flat-paper sheets printed with colored illustrations and embossed borders. It was not long before manufacturers began adding hearts and roses, Cupid with his bow and arrow, angels, paper lace and beads to make the cards even more distinctive.

“By the late 1800s, stand-up cards with a base and several three-dimensional fold-out layers, and cards with honeycomb paper puffs that opened to form a variety of shapes including bells, fans, balls and hearts were popular.

“There were mechanical valentines that often featured cars, ships and trains with moving parts operated by a paper lever, and some valentines were made to conceal hidden treasures such as jewelry.”

New court in town: The gavel has opened a new York County court, a veterans court, to address the many returning veterans from wars in the Middle East. Check out: Veteran-friendly court opens for business.

Check this out: Organists to play the wonderful pipe organs in York’s historic churches are in short supply. Visit: Wanted: organist to play church hymns .

 Blog post of the day: Buffy’s World offers a series of links of noteworthy blog posts: Ken Ludwig’s York Little Theatre visit to Wolf Organization marketing own brand of cabinets.

Forum of the day: Joan Concilio over at Only in York County asks, and gains answers to some questions including: Where’s Gino’s in Towson?