Reader memories of North Pole, Tally House and other eateries continue
Today, I’m digging back into some older emails to share a few reader memories about some restaurants of the past, namely the Tally House, the North Pole, Jay’s Subs and The Homestead. I hope you’ll enjoy digging in to them!
Tally House
We’d last talked about the William Tally House in a column about a year ago, when reader Cecil George shared memories of working there.
Local Realtor Wade Elfner read that and wrote to me, “My friend and I used to go to the mall on Friday evenings to walk around while a neighbor lady worked the evening shift at Montgomery Ward. The highlight of the evening was to eat at the Tally House and get the sliced roast beef.”
He continued that at some time in 2016, he was cleaning out a house in Pleasureville and found an original sign from the restaurant. “What a coincidence,” he wrote!
North Pole
We’ve talked many times before about the North Pole on Sherman Street in York, owned by Ernie and Ethel McCall. This has been a frequent topic in past columns, but I did have a few more replies to share, including one from the McCall family!
Shirley Shiller wrote, “Ernie and Ethel McCall were my parents. I worked at the North Pole Drive-In on Sherman Street from 1951 when we opened until 1968 when it closed. My husband and I bought and worked at the North Pole Drive-In in Weigelstown from my parents in 1964 and sold the property to Turkey Hill in 1968. We still miss our submarine sandwiches (even though we have made them at home) and our delicious frozen custard.”
My new house is less than a mile from where the Weigelstown North Pole had been, and I only wish I could have overlapped for a good sub!
Meanwhile, reader Sue Myers wrote, “Just a comment about the North Pole… on Sherman Street. I grew up in this area and my bus stop was the North Pole. The Florida Room was beside it but two separate businesses. I always thought it was pretty cool to tell people my bus stop was at the North Pole. When Route 30 went in, the Florida Room pool was filled in and the buildings were taken down.”
A couple of bonus eateries
Reader Jodie Wimer wrote asking for more memories of The Old Homestead Inn in West Manchester Township. She said her great-grandmother used to work there, and her mother has been trying to find out some information, including exact location.
Earlier this year, I was able to share some Homestead information courtesy of the West Manchester Township Historical Society, placing it at 2305 W. Market St. According to Harvey Loucks of the Historical Society, subsequent owners of the property included York Auto Parts, a pet store, West York Cutting Room (a salon), and recently Divas West (a beauty salon/spa).
And finally for today, I have a short follow-up on Jay’s Subs, which operated for a fairly brief time at the corner of Philadelphia Street and Roosevelt Avenue in York and which we last talked about just a few weeks ago.
Reader Jen was reading that column and recalled how good the restaurant’s subs were. “The restaurant was located on the corner, at the Y between Roosevelt and West Philadelphia St., kind of diagonally across from that fancy restaurant on the other corner,” she said, meaning the Roosevelt Tavern.
Jen continued, “I ate there with my mom once that I remember and I remember that she really liked the subs because they were dusted with cornmeal on the bottom. I haven’t thought about that place for years.”
Jen, getting people to think about places they haven’t in years is one of the best parts of getting to write this column. So glad we could spark that memory!
Have questions or memories to share? Email me at joan@joanconcilio.com or write to Ask Joan, York Daily Record/Sunday News, 1891 Loucks Road, York PA 17408. We cannot accept any phone calls with questions or information.
