Nearly a year ago I did a blog post on four dedicated local men, members of Canadochly Lutheran Church, who were diligently working to restore the oldest part of Canadochly cemetery in Lower Windsor Township. Area resident Gene Schenck noticed them at work last year and wrote an article about
We sometimes seem to have a love/hate relationship with old buildings. We act like we would love to save them for their historical ties or architectural significance. On the other hand we often seem to hate committing funds to preserve them. This isn’t a new problem. There have always been
As stories fly about the possible planned destruction of Hybla, the Mifflin-Wright house near Wrightsville, more concern has surfaced about this important York County historical site. Hybla has just been named one of the 11 most endangered properties in Pennsylvania by Preservation Pennsylvania. Click these links for media coverage of
For over a month I have been putting together a slide show on York’s square in commemoration of the 275th anniversary of the laying out of York in 1741. The information on the square at the York County History Center Library/Archives, an abundance of maps, drawings, photographs and clippings, is
This is the second of two posts detailing the first several owners of the original lots that encircle York’s square. The lots can be located on the map above of the center of York, bordered by Philadelphia, Duke, King and Beaver streets. As I explained in a recent post, those
The enlarged section of the center of York above is bounded by Philadelphia, Duke, King and Beaver streets. It shows the square with the courthouse in the middle. I have flipped it form the original so that it is oriented to the north. As explained in my last post, in
In conjunction with the 275th anniversary of the laying out of York, I am working on a slide show for a November 12th program at the York County History Center. It is part of the regular Second Saturday series of programs at 10:30; they are held at the YCHC’s museum
In honor of those brave patriots who put their life on the line signing the Declaration of Independence, my previous York Sunday News column on “our signer,” James Smith, is repeated below: Who Was James Smith? You might know that James Smith was York County’s signer of the Declaration of
I have written before about the very talented clockmaker and artist, John Fisher (1736-1808) and his remarkable clocks. He was also an able sculptor in wood and painted with such accuracy that his dog Wasser, attacked his newly painted sign for the Black Bear Tavern. Local historian and artist Jim
Summer brings thunder and lightning. Here is an account of a quite powerful lightning strike at St. Jacob’s (Stone) Church in Codorus Township. It is from the June 28, 1887 York Gazette. FEARS OF LIGHTNING—During the storm on Monday, the 20th inst., about noon, the lightning struck the Stone (St.