Names of York: William Wells Young
More in the ongoing series on the Names of York.
Place: William Wells Young Memorial School in the Northern York County School District
Who was it named after? William Wells Young, who died from diphtheria as a child. William was the son of Harriet and Richard Young; Harriet was the daughter of Abraham Wells, the founder of the borough of Wellsville.
Interesting fact: The school operated as its own public school until about 1960; in 1980, an area resident purchased and refurbished the property, according to a 2007 interview with Judy Weber, then vice president of the Wellsville Area Historical Society. As of that interview, Northern’s school district was still using the building as a music room and kindergarten classroom, but I can no longer find a mention of it on the district website; does anyone know its status?
Source: Daily Record/Sunday News archives, Northern York County School District website
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!
The building was just sold to private individuals. Rumors are it may become a Bed and Breakfast. I don’t know for sure.