Only in York County

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Ask Joan: Memories of school, restaurants and ice cream

Today’s questions are all seeking memories of former businesses. I hope you can share yours!

What’s inside

1. Memories of Snyder’s Ice Cream
2. History of Lincoln Woods Inn
3. Did you attend Aquilla Howard?
4. When did Bright Star close?

1. When I was a kid the building on Jessup Place near York College that is “Murph’s Study Hall” was “Snyder’s Ice Cream Parlor.” They had a store out front and made the ice cream in the rear of the building. Do your readers have any memories of this, and just when exactly did it close?
– Ivan Frantz Jr.

I’d love to hear any thoughts on Snyder’s Ice Cream for Ivan. I actually have a large selection of ice-cream store memories that I’ll be sharing as soon as the weather gets a little warmer, and would love to add these as well!

2. I would like to know the history of the Lincoln Woods Inn. I have a large metal token from there and i am trying to find out info it. The token is dated 1878. Thanks for any help.
– Russ

Russ, you’re in luck! Jim McClure had a neat post about the Lincoln Woods Inn on his York Town Square blog last year – it turns out John F. Kennedy visited the inn in 1960, among other things! Much of the inn’s history is listed there, so please do check it out.

I’d also previously shared some of Betsy Baird’s memories of this restaurant on East Market Street, in the spot that later became Fat Daddy’s, and I hope you’ll check those out as well.

East King Street’s Aquilla Howard School, named after the early black leader of York, was one of two segregated elementary schools opened in 1931 to educate Southern black people who had come north for jobs in industrial York. Smallwood School was the other. It was sold in 1962 and later demolished.

3. Does anyone remember any details about Aquilla Howard Elementary School?
– Betty Weaver

Betty is a wonderful woman I know, and a longtime reader. I would love to share some memories of this school for her, so please share! I can also give some history of it, thanks to Jim McClure again, who posted about it back in 2008 here on York Town Square! That’s where the photo here is from, in fact.

4. When did the Bright Star Restaurant close?
– Jim Sweitzer

This is one I don’t have a helpful past post to reference! Does anyone know the answer to this, and would you share? I appreciate it, as will Jim!

Got any questions? Ask Joan using the form at right. I’ll attempt to answer 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!

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