As promised in a recent post, here are more graphics showing the remarkable growth of the Weaver Organ and Piano Company factory in just 22 years. The 1882 building, designed by the Dempwolf firm of architects was of fair size, but the 1892 and 1898 additions added much more
In the late 19th century and well into the 20th century, York newspapers had stringers in just about every small community throughout the county. These local people reported on church, school and social happenings. I mentioned before that my aunt was the Gazette and Daily stringer at New Bridgeville, Chanceford
I have done a couple of blog posts on York’s St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, whose congregation is celebrating its 175th Anniversary this month. One of the most horrific, but memorable, events in St. Paul’s history was the January 1939 arson-set fire that destroyed old St. Paul’s, which sat on the
The story of the great 1939 fire at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of York and the capture of the arsonist reads like a mystery story. From an alert detective’s recognition of a smeared fingerprint left at the scene of a crime the next night to the suspect protesting his innocence
Vigilant steam engine Whoops. I guess it is kind of embarrassing if your horse-drawn fire engine runs away, is stopped by a collision with your other engine and has to be people-drawn to the fire. That’s what happened to York’s Vigilant Fire Co. in the late 1800s. They may have
Site of Wellensiek whip factory York County had several whip factories in the 19th century, the days of horse-drawn wagons and buggies, including a large factory in Wellsville. German immigrant John Wellensiek opened a sizable factory for whip manufacturing on West Princess Street in York in the 1870s. In 1895