If they were able, convalescent soldiers at the Civil War hospital on York’s Penn Common didn’t just sit around. They were kept busy, aiding in their rehabilitation and saving the government money. They acted as nurses and clerks; they tended the gardens and grounds. Convalescents staffed the hospital post office
My recent post on the U.S. Army Civil War Hospital at York mentioned that a good many of the patients treated there had wounds of the extremities or were amputees. York County Heritage Trust Director of Library and Archives, Lila Fourhman-Shaull, recently shared a newspaper clipping with me that reminds
One of the largest Union Civil War hospitals opened on York’s Penn Common in June 1862. Mary Cadwell Fisher authored lengthy accounts, for both Gibson’s (1886) and Prowell’s (1907) histories of York County, of the hospital that treated over 14,000 soldiers during the three years of its existence. Mrs. Fisher
On November 29, 1918, Cornelius L. Stambaugh wrote back home from a military hospital in Toul, France, where he was recovering from being gassed, to his friend Daniel Hildebrand. He sent the letter in care of the Gazette and Daily, where Stambaugh thought Hildebrand still worked. Unfortunately, Hildebrand had passed
Philip A. Small examining Christian Roth’s wheat Whenever I start researching some York County history, it seems like someone from the Small family turns up. Pennsylvania German immigrant Lorentz Small settled in Windsor Township in 1743, but soon the family became involved in carpentry, building, mills, iron furnaces, retail and
Bakery ad from 1916 York Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook We tend to romanticize “the good old days” when Mom, or Grandma, or Great-grandma, lovingly baked wonderful breads and cakes, all from scratch. If those fine ladies were doing all the baking, why then are there so many ads for local bakeries
Ad from 1916 York Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook I have been having a good time reading both the recipes and the local ads in the recently reprinted 1916 York Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook. Even though there were a good many recipes for home-baked breads, rolls, cakes and cookies in the cookbook, Minnich’s
In 1916 the York Hospital Womens Auxiliary published a cookbook as a fundraiser. They gathered the recipes and household hints, and convinced hundreds of businesses from all over York County to buy ads in the book. Some national food related companies, such as Knox Gelatine, Arm & Hammer Baking Powder,
I keep harping away that the “good old days” often weren’t as good as they are remembered to be. One thing that is certainly better now than it was then is medical knowledge and technology. The article below, from the April 30, 1908 York Gazette, certainly points out how lucky