York World War II USO—Part Two
Here’s more from the 1943 York USO flier I mentioned in my last post. The statistics of services the York USO had provided, just up to September 1943, are pretty impressive. See below:
7,400 Service Men Guests at YORK USO Service Men’s Club and Pennsylvania Dutch Canteen (Opened January 9, 1943).
15,000 Service Men Accommodated at York Railroad Station (Troops in Transit)—Providing Sandwiches, Soft Drinks, Cookies, Cigarettes, Candy, Travel Information and Assistance.
2,710 USO Vouchers for Lodging
1,800 USO Vouchers for Meals.
526 Junior and Senior Hostesses.
550 Recordings made by Service Men at the Pennsylvania Dutch Canteen.
528 Service Men served breakfast at Pennsylvania Dutch Canteen.
45 Dances for Service Men at New Cumberland, Indiantown Gap, and York.
135 Buses provided for USO Dances.
5,000 Hostesses Entertained Service Men at Dances.
8 USO Swimming Parties for Service Men.
12 Service Men’s Day Rooms Furnished by YORK USO at New Cumberland at a cost of $2,100.00.
$42,000 War Saving Stamps Sold by YORK USO at Victory House.
The York USO also published a very interesting quarterly newsletter, some of which are in the USO file at the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives. The first one I picked up revealed the identity of the artist who painted the Pennsylvania Dutch murals that were depicted on the postcard in my last post.
As I suspected, the artist was Margaret Sarah Lewis, who sent the post card to Henry J. Young. The newsletter says: “Some connoisseur of art claimed the Pennsylvania Dutch decorations on our Canteen walls are a $1,000 job. Peg Lewis and her committee did them for the USO for 0.”
Stop by York County Heritage Trust to see Front Porch to Front Lines: York County Goes to War.
