The origin of the narrow gauge that lays behind this sign is up in the air. The term narrow gauge often refers to railroads - often branch lines - whose tracks were closer together, thus supporting smaller locomotives and reducing construction costs. Background posts: Ma & Pa rabbit trains: 'I hope they thoroughly hosed out the cars.', York County railroading: 'Something that gets into your blood' and Northern York area strawberry part of Neapolitan county.

Bob Burns (burns@nfdc.net) is 59 years old and has lived on Narrow Gauge Road in southern York County all his life. And he's not aware of a railroad ever running in that area.

An e-mailer - a railroad enthusiast - raised the prospect that the road took its name from an old railroad as described in the York Town Square post: : Is mystery railroad the old Shrewsbury narrow gauge?... .

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Publicity associated with York's East Market Street Parking Garage upon its opening in 1969 pointed to its modern amenities. An often overlooked feature of the garage is its lobby fountain. Here, Linda Oatman and Brad Smith examine the fountain after it was vandalized in 2004. Today, the fountain is dry. Background posts: Don't know much about York County history? - Part II, Stetler Dodge transition indicative of other York-area changes and For decades, York's underground comfort stations spelled relief.

Downtown York boasts of an artifact of history that points to another artifact.

A reader of my recent York Sunday News column (It's not striking, but blocky parking garage tells a story of York) added to the discussion on York's East Market Street Parking Garage.

He noted that an interesting sign is on the building located across from the parking garage on the northeast corner of Duke and Market streets... .

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The area around the former Highland Park in West Manchester Township also has been called Smoketown, one of several such locales in York County. Highland Park was an electric park, designed to attract trolley riders on weekends. Background posts:
Carrie Nation in York: 'If you keep smoking those things ...', Growing off-peak trolley ridership in York County: Build a park and Pinchgut vs. The Gut.

How many Smoketowns are there in York County?

That question came to mind in putting together the recent post: This Smoketown now rests on York County lake floor.

I didn't know about that Smoketown.

I was aware that the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society's "Gazetteer of York and Adams Counties" lists two: ... .

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York countian L.O. Buckner took a 35mm slide of a January 1959 ice breakup along the Susquehanna in the Wrightsville area. (More photos below.) Background posts:
Readers tell about those blizzards of 1993, 1996, Temporary river art collection may find permanent home along Susquehanna and Long Level and Pleasureville fielded bands?.

Jim Buckner of New Canaan, Conn., passed along photos of massive ice piles along the Susquehanna River. He gleaned them from his father's collection of York County scenes.

"Although I'm a native Yorker, I've been away from the city for a half century and don't know whether changes in the climate cycle have deleted this spectacular, albeit destructive, event from the county almanac or not," he wrote... .

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If the authority overseeing York's East Market Street garage is going to spend $3 million to renovate the 40-year-old structure, it should also preserve the York Fair mural on its side.

I make that point in my York Sunday News column (8/24/08).

Several of the 18 large-scale panels in the Murals of York series are deteriorating. They simply weren't made to last forever, but to see them fall apart within a decade of their painting seems a bit early.

The mural is only part of the reason the East Market Street garage is a useful artifact of history, as I suggest in the column, 'Market Street Garage a symbol of a changing city' :

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The Kralltown Road bridge, seen here in 2006, is of the truss construction typical of those PennDOT is systematically replacing. In fact, PennDOT is placing some of them up for sale. Background posts: When the bridge over the Codorus moved, Charles Dickens on his Susquehanna River crossing: 'I was in a painful dream', and A 7th bridge? Pedestrian walkway may span Susquehanna River some day.

I recently turned onto the one-lane Bowers Bridge crossing the Conewago Creek near Manchester and wondered how the rickety but beautiful structure had escaped the wreckers ball. After all, a trolley bridge downstream was no more. And a highway bridge even further down the Conewago was there but no longer used.

As it turns out, PennDOT has caught up with the Bowers Bridge... .

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This area view, courtesy of J. David Allen & Son Photography and from Buchart-Horn Inc./BASCO Associates' files, shows the York County Shopping Center in the late 1950s. Background posts: Before Geno's made news in Philly, Gino's headlined in York, Bury's memories far from buried and Sears, York County Shopping Center in the middle of things.

Last post, we showed off a piece of J. David Allen and Son's photographic handiwork from the air - a shot of White Oak Park.

Last time we posted an aerial shot from those photographers - and a photo of the York County Shopping Center - it drew several comments.

For example, Bill Landes wrote:

What a great photo, lots of memories. Across the street from the Shopping Center entrance(I think) was the first Gino's 15cent Hamburger Joint. I remember Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche signing autographs there at the grand opening...1960 or 61??

Gene Schenk from Buchart-Horn Inc./BASCO Associates, who supplied the original Allen photo of the shopping center, e-mailed another photo with landmarks marked by numbers, which will aid locating landmarks.

Here's the key:.. .

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This is a rare photograph of White Oak Park courtesy of J. David Allen & Son Photography. This photo shows vehicles navigating the road to Emigsville near the Oaks' buildings. The traffic island are there today, placing the Oaks at about the location of the present-day rental units lot where vehicles are stored. Background posts: 'Dell rat' blogs about southside hangout , The Oaks: 'I often look up there ... and think about how nice it was', and Memories about 'The Oaks' pile up.

John Allen is part of the generation that lived during the heyday of White Oak Park, a northside hangout where many local rock groups cut their teeth.

He graduated in York Catholic, class of 1966.

That's the year highlighted in an upcoming reunion at Sovereign Bank Stadium based on a White Oak Park theme.

For whatever reason, photographs of The Oaks are rare... .

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This mile-long covered bridge replaced the bridged burned by the Union army to stop the Confederates from crossing the Susquehanna River. A cyclone blew down this bridge in 1896, and it was replaced by an iron structure. The bridge would have been akin to the covered bridge Charles Dickens used to cross the river some 25 miles upstream. But by 1896, slits to allow light into the dark interior had been added. Background posts: Susquehanna River helped mold part of York County's southern tier, Photo collection adds to York County's historic record and When the bridge over the Codorus moved.

Charles Dickens' account of his crossing the long covered bridge from the Susquehanna's west shore into Harrisburg raises a point few would consider today.

In a bridge nearing a mile long, how would you see? ...

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Tubers take a leisurely ride recently near the covered bridge spanning the Yellow Breeches on Messiah College's campus. The beauty of the countryside is similar to that witnessed by Charles Dickens in his visit to northern York County in 1842. Dickens' coach would have crossed the Yellow Breeches downstream close to the point that it spills into the Susquehanna River. Background posts: Big Conewago serves as divider, York County: 'It's shaped like a horse's... ' and Scenic Yellow Breeches snakes along York County's northern boundary.

Charles Dickens and 11 others filled a large coach that traveled along York County's eastern edge in his visit to America in 1842.

He arrived in York via railroad. He traveled to Harrisburg via coach. And traveled to Pittsburgh from Harrisburg via canal.

Dickens noted the uncomfortable coach ride and took time to observe - and later write about - the foiables of York countians. But he also Dickens noticed the beauty of the county's northern end, as he describes in his "American Notes:"

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