One of my recent posts started with a Lewis Miller drawing of an 1835 covered bridge across the Gut, or “the Cud,” as he captioned it. It was an important bridge, paid for by the county, carried a road that ended a very short distance away at the Susquehanna shore
Call it providence, serendipity, fate, karma or whatever you want, but in the study of history, as with many things, it is remarkable how undiscovered resources appear at exactly the right time. Just as York County Heritage Trust came out with a new book of mostly previously unpublished drawings by
York County Heritage Trust Director of Library and Archives, Lila Fourhman-Shaull, shared a dedication program for Chanceford Elementary School with me. As noted in my previous post, the school was dedicated on August 31, 1958. The program gives a history of public education in Chanceford Township. Many school districts were
The Sponslers of York seem to have been an interesting family. Many members were quite musical; there was even a Sponsler family orchestra. In a previous post, I shared a 1904 newspaper account of musician J. V. Sponsler’s attempt at playing the steam whistle at Herman Noss’s lumber yard. Another
This account below is only one of several from the November 28, 1882 York Gazette recounting celebrations around the county of recent Democratic election wins. Democrat Robert E. Pattison had won the election for Governor, but not by much, over James A. Beaver. A candidate by the name of John
York County native Jacob Tome made his fortune at Port Deposit, Maryland. He made his lasting mark on the area by sharing his wealth with the community, among which were financing the Tome Memorial Church and the Tome School. Only remnants remain of the original Jacob Tome Institute in Port
These two photos of the York Fair were taken about 1898. They fairgoers look a little overdressed to us today. In those days the fair was held in October, so this looks like a nice day, perhaps not too hot or cold. The top photo seems to be a double
I went to Lancaster County this week to see some York County items on exhibit. Jennifer Hall Royer, former Director of Exhibits and Collections at York County Heritage Trust is now Museum Curator at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. She has included three York County wedding dresses and a
I see York city is restoring its Keystone markers, those familiar keystone with a rectangle signs that tell you the town you are entering, where its name came from and how many miles down the road to another town. Good for the city–every bit helps in first impressions. There is
My previous post was on the combined 1876 York County township atlas and 1903 York City atlas. A friend just reminded me that the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society published two indexes to the 1876 atlas. The indexes are available for use at the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives, or