Names of York: Crispus Attucks
This image of Crispus Attucks’ martyrdom during the Boston Massacre was published in Jim McClure’s “Nine Months in York Town.”
More in the ongoing series on the Names of York.
Place: Crispus Attucks Community Center in York
Who was it named after? Crispus Attucks was a martyr – said to be an offspring of an African man and a Nantucket Indian mother – who died with four others in the Boston Massacre in March 1770, in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Attucks is remembered as ‘the first to defy, the first to die’ on America’s road to freedom.
Interesting facts: The CA center in York was founded in 1931; to commemorate its 75th anniversary in 2006, the York Daily Record published a series of profiles called “75 Years of Crispus Attucks” that is still available online.
Source: York Town Square blog; 75 Years of Crispus Attucks series
Do you have a suggestion of a place in York County named for a person? If so, post a comment! I’m going to work my way through some likely ones, such as schools and parks, but I need other suggestions too!
