Only in York County

Just a random sampling of questions to share today. I’m preparing to take the GRE (Graduate Readiness Exam) this weekend, so my brain is FRIED and I can’t write a proper introduction. Hopefully you’ll forgive me!

What’s inside

1. What were those chocolate squares?
2. Seeking Grantley Road restaurant name
3. President Lincoln in Hydra-stone

1. In 1950s, when we used to buy penny candy, there was a chocolate square called Grade A. It cost 1 cent. Can’t find it on the web. Am I crazy?
– Mary

I was glad to be able to reply to Mary and tell her she is definitely NOT crazy. Those Grade A chocolate squares are something I hear questions about often! We’ve actually talked about them more in this 2013 post; it turns out they were regional, made by the Klein Chocolate Co. of Elizabethtown.

2. Around 1976-77 my wife and I dined in a small restaurant/bar located on the east side of Grantley Road near the bridge and Stone Container… it was a small cozy space with a working fireplace and an adobe-style decor. The building is long gone and always wondered the business name and who owned it.
– Robert Senft

This was not one I was familiar with, and even when we talked about Grantley Road businesses in the past, I didn’t hear much if anything about such a restaurant! So I’m glad to collect any memories or ideas about it!

3. My mother recently passed away and I obtained a wall hanging of President Lincoln made of Hydra-stone (it looks like cement but is very light in weight). My mother had it at least since before 1966 when she married my father. She told me it was once a part of a larger piece that was on a wall in a bank in York, and she obtained it when they tore it down. It may have been a Drover’s bank. I’m trying to find any information on the piece that I can, what bank it may have been in, if there is a picture of the complete wall, etc. Any information you or your readers can share would be greatly appreciated.
– Laila Stahl of Spring Grove

Laila had written to me earlier this year and asked about the item and shared the photo above, and I am so glad I was finally able to share it.

I was able to find out more about the material, which is made of gypsum and goes by the brand name Hydro-Stone, and is produced by the company USG. But what I don’t know about is the York connection; I’m very curious about where this might have been!

All comments and information are welcomed!

Have questions or memories to share? Ask (or Tell) Joan using the form at right. I’ll attempt to answer or share them in a future “Ask Joan” column on this blog. I get a large volume, but I will feature three each week and answer as many as possible!