Each of our York County communities, no matter what size, seems to have its own uniquely rich history. My own families settled, some well over two hundred years ago, in the southeastern part of the county. I still have so much to learn, especially about the rest of the county.
Some time ago I wrote a York Sunday News column on Dr. William Bigler’s 1890 trip to Florida to visit his son. In those days of railroads snaking all over the county, it might have been easier to travel from here to many other parts of the United States than
For the past few years, Albert Rose, long-time volunteer at the York County History Center Library/Archives, has been documenting war memorials throughout York County. He has visited and photographed many of them and also verified some that no longer remain. But he looking for still more, such as the ones
President Lincoln at Hanover Junction was a hot topic during the 1950s after some previously misidentified photos taken at Hanover Junction were discovered. Below is still another second generation account of Lincoln at Hanover Junction, taken from the October 25, 1952 York Gazette and Daily. It reads: Clayton Strickhouser, 89-year-old
Here is the third of three installments transcribing an article from the Free Press community newspaper, Southern York County edition, of November 22, 1973. The extensive article was written by Doris B. Miller. It commemorates President Abraham Lincoln passing through Hanover Junction on his way to dedicate Gettysburg National Cemetery
Below is part two of three posts transcribing the lengthy article written by Doris B. Miller for the November 22, 1973 Southern York County edition of the Free Press. Click here for part one. Civil War historian Scott Mingus recently published Soldiers, Spies & Steam: A History of the Northern
Here is another Lincoln at Hanover Junction clipping. Lots of folks have strong feelings about whether the train that took President Lincoln to Gettysburg in November 1863 is shown in the known half dozen or so period photographs of the station. Several of the photos show groups of people on
I can always find something of interest in the old newspapers on microfilm at York County Heritage Trust. Sometimes the little items from across the county are the most interesting. Here are a few from the July 1, 1887 York Gazette: “LUCKY FIND—Lillie Senft, one of the rag sorters in
The account below, from the May 26, 1913 York Gazette tells of a train wreck caused by human error. It also illustrates how stories become exaggerated as news travels. It is rather remarkable that, with the damage and injuries cited, the train and passengers were able to travel on in
What is historical mitigation? A simplified example is that when a structure that might have some historical value is demolished, something is done to compensate for that loss. When the Sovereign Bank Stadium in York, bounded by George, North, Queen, and Arch streets, quite a few structures were torn down.