Catching up with some pop quiz answers
Congrats to two of my favorite readers and commenters for their correct answers to two recent pop quizzes.
Back on Oct. 29, I did a “where in York County were we” challenge that I didn’t think would be very hard at all. Only one answer was submitted, but it was right! Ben Lightner correctly identified that those photos were taken at Jim Mack’s Ice Cream in Hellam Township and Whitecomb’s Farm Market in West Manchester Township during some recent journeys.
Then, in my Nov. 4 post celebrating the history of Mount Wolf, I asked what borough in York County was incorporated the earliest – “oldest” if you will.
That was a fun one! Dianne gave what, as near as we can tell, is the correct answer – Hanover is the oldest of the 36 present boroughs, incorporated in 1815. We confirmed that in Bruce Rebert’s 1976 book, “Hanover, PA. 1776-1976: A commemorative history of borough affairs.”
However, the York County official website lists the municipalities and their founding dates and gives a different answer. According to their list, Lewisberry would be the oldest, with an 1832 founding date; they attribute Hanover’s incorporation to 1856.
The county website’s list of boroughs and incorporated dates is:
| Cross Roads | October 6, 1899 |
| Dallastown | August 31, 1866 |
| Delta | June 24, 1880 |
| Dillsburg | April 9, 1833 |
| Dover | November 11, 1864 |
| East Prospect | August 13, 1873 |
| Fawn Grove | October 10, 1881 |
| Felton | May 8, 1899 |
| Franklintown | April 29, 1869 |
| Glen Rock | August 29, 1859 |
| Goldsboro | August 23, 1864 |
| Hallam | May 25, 1908 |
| Hanover | April 29, 1856 |
| Jacobus | November 29, 1929 |
| Jefferson | December 11, 1866 |
| Lewisberry | April 2, 1832 |
| Loganville | April 8, 1852 |
| Manchester | August 27, 1869 |
| Mount Wolf | August 23, 1910 |
| New Freedom | May 2, 1873 |
| New Salem | July 24, 1876 |
| North York | April 17, 1899 |
| Railroad | August 31, 1871 |
| Red Lion | January 16, 1880 |
| Seven Valleys | August 23, 1892 |
| Shrewsbury | April 9, 1834 |
| Spring Grove | August 28, 1882 |
| Stewartstown | February 24, 1853 |
| Wellsville | November 14, 1892 |
| West York | June 20, 1904 |
| Windsor | July 3, 1905 |
| Winterstown | January 2, 1871 |
| Wrightsville | April 14, 1834 |
| Yoe | October 23, 1893 |
| Yorkana | August 26, 1912 |
| York Haven | December 1, 1892 |
So, we have another York County, Pa., history mystery – where did the 1856 date given on the county site come from?? I looked through that Bruce Rebert history book, thinking maybe something else of note happened on that date, but I didn’t find anything. Any ideas?
