Yet more memories from West York
About a month ago, I shared some reader memories from West York and the western part of York City. Today, I have EVEN MORE to share, then I promise in future weeks we’ll turn our attention to some other areas of the county, including Hanover and Red Lion!
But for today, I hope you enjoy these recollections of hamburger joints, Franklin Discount and more!
Reader Sis James had written before about the West York area, and was talking about the Bill Myers restaurant that later became Babe Keller’s. “Does any one remember Bill Myers?” she asked, adding, “And also, Steckler’s grocery store was on the corner of Adams and Market, does anyone remember Steckler’s?”
She also noted, “There is a name at the top of the building of the West York Inn. It is on the Highland Ave. side. It says Martin Parry Corp. Does anyone know what was made there?” I do know that this was a vehicle-maker, and you can read more about the company’s history at www.martin-parry.com. Would love to hear stories from anyone whose family members worked there in the early 1900s!
Then, I heard from several readers in response to a question from Rose Dayhoff about a hamburger joint next to Robert Hall Menswear in West York. I got a variety of answers, as it seems like this location changed hands some number of times, so I’m sharing them all in the hope that we can start to put together a better chronology!
Todd Smith of Red Lion wrote, “In reference to Rose Dayhoff’s question about the hamburger joint in West York, it was called Jim’s. They offered a bag of burgers for $1. There were 6 burgers one for each of us kids in the family! It was owned by Jim Collins. I also remember the current Print o Stat building was a Safeway grocery store on the corner of Popular and Hoke Streets. We bought penny candy from Cromer’s. I was born at West Side Hospital in March of 1961.”
My brother-in-law Mike Smith seconded the Jim’s idea; he writes, “The hamburger shop near Robert Hall was called Jim’s Hamburgers for awhile in the ’60s.”
Bob Jones thought it might have been Jim & Sue’s, a father-daughter establishment with 25-cent burgers or 5 burgers for $1 (possibly as prices rose after the six-for-a-dollar that Todd mentioned!) “Great food. Loved it!” Bob wrote.
Longtime York Newspapers employee Terry Zellers recalled the hamburger joint as Jim and Pat’s. “I grew up on W. Poplar St. down from Moser’s restaurant and used to cross the tracks behind Moser’s for a bag of burgers for a dollar,” he noted. “Franklin Discount was our WalMart. Also remember Kister’s grocery on the corner of Overbrook and King St., right across from Pudd’s, now the Overbrook Cafe. Late ’50s, early ’60s there were numerous corner grocery stores.”
Meanwhile, reader Linda recalled it differently; she writes, “The article from Rose Dayhoff … mentions that she can’t recall the name of the hamburger joint that was next to Robert Hall’s Clothing. I believe it was Legore’s and they sold hamburgers at five for a dollar.”
Tom Clark also remembers the Legore’s days. He writes, “I believe the hamburger place could have been Legore’s?”
David L. Sharp Jr. somewhat tied these names together. He noted that one earlier writer had said Legore’s was never in West York, but as so many of our readers recall, it apparently was! “Originally it was called Jim & Legore’s. It was on West Market St. on the right side going west. Jim and Legore had a falling out and then split. Jim had opened up his hamburger place on the left side of West Market St. It was close to where the original was on the right. It was right around Pearl St. Then Legore’s opened up where Sheetz is on Carlisle Road. It was at that time located at or near where Leaners Home Center was. Then Legore’s moved to Carlisle Road in the building that is next door to Domino’s Pizza. It was there until it closed.”
That fills in a lot of questions, David, thank you!
Another David, this time David Shaner, recalled, “My dad used to take us kids to Legore’s Drive-In. It used to be at the corner of Rt. 74 and Brougher Lane, where Sheetz is now. Right of off Rt. 30. They advertised 15 cent hamburgers on their marquee. You could get two burgers, fries, and a small soda for just under a dollar.”
On the subject of those mom-and-pop markets mentioned earlier, yet another reader named David, David Swords, asks, “Was wondering if anyone remembers a small market, might have been called Lehr’s (Bud Lehr) on the same block of Lattuca’s but the opposite side. I’m guessing dating back to around late ’60s.”
Reader Wib wrote, “Grew up in West York within two blocks of Beck’s and Green’s Dairies. There was also a dairy on Richland Ave. across from St. Rose of Lima. Remember the ‘mom and pop’ grocery stores like Welcomer’s or Lehr’s or Latucca’s before Food Fair popped up on Market Street. Then, there was Knox’s pharmacy with its soda fountain.”
Longtime commenter John Loeper adds, “As a West York boomer I remember, starting at Richland Ave., there was a Food Fair supermarket nearby… (by the way the Super Shoes location was originally a Safeway supermarket)… In the 1400 block of West Market there was Knox Drug Store, also the Reliance Cafe, which was next to the old original Reliance Fire Hall.” He continued, “There was Lehr’s Atlantic station down near Robert Hall’s. Also, there was a bar, restaurant and I think a hotel on the southwest corner of Market and Highland Ave. Anyone remember the name?”
He recalled an Anstine’s funeral home (someone earlier had suggested it might have been a Heffner’s.” John also recalled the Friday night dances at the new Reliance Fire Hall, always DJ’d by Doc Daugherty. He concluded, “As for Latucca’s pizza, anyone remember when their pizza oven exploded in the early 1960s? Latucca’s had the very best subs I have ever had. It was the bread that made the difference.” He added that Jim & Nena’s comes close, as Nena was a Lattuca. “I believe the original Latucca’s on West Market Street was destroyed by an explosion in the 1960s. They also had a grocery store adjacent to the pizza place.”
On another topic, reader Lori Hash asked, “Would any of your readers remember the Jolly Cow in West York? My mother would sometimes take us there in the summer for a hot dog and root beer. Now there’s a good memory – they had a counter with bar stools. We thought we were pretty special sitting on those stools.” (Moving further west, she also noted, “My aunt and uncle remember visiting a restaurant in Stoverstown when they were dating. They are in their 80s and 90s now, so it was a good long while ago! They can’t remember the restaurant’s name.” Any ideas?)
Back to West York, Kathy Campbell Beaverson recalled, “I remember Frankin Discount on Pine St. because after classes at York Catholic High School we would stop by there.” I thought of this when reader Scott Weaver asked if anyone had any photos of the Franklin Discount store in West York. “Would really love to see one or so,” he wrote. I have never seen any of that location either, so I’d also be interested!
Finally for today, I had a note from Doris Geesey, who said she enjoyed Joyce Brenner Whitcraft’s memories of the west end of York. “I also attended Hartley school and remember the May Day celebrations,” Doris wrote. “What wonderful times they were… Some of the teachers that I remember from Hartley School were Principal Mr. Brown, Miss Suitor, Mrs. Yates, Mrs Murray, and Mrs. Bierbower. I also snacked on Senft’s chips, 5 cents a bag.”
Doris also recalled, on the west end of York, a cigar store at Poplar and Hawthorne called the Welcome Cigar Store. “Anyone remember Stu that was always there?” she asked. “At Christmas time we always visited the cigar store and received an orange and a peppermint stick, what wonderful memories.”
These are all wonderful memories; thank you all for sharing!
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.
