A log house IS NOT being torn down in Springettsbury Township. That structure, the home of blacksmith Henry Drayer during 1860, is being renovated. After seeing the siding removed from the log structure, several people have expressed their concern; thinking that might be a forerunner to demolition. Be assured, the
Upon seeing the tiny watch George Sellers wrote “it was a beautiful piece of workmanship considering the tools Davis had at his command.” Sellers saw this watch in 1828 when papermaker George King, of York, brought it along on a trip to Philadelphia; showing it off during a paper-mould buying
Eight-thousand quarts of Neuman ice cream was served to Civil War veterans on July 4th 1913 at Gettysburg upon the 50th anniversary reunion of the great battle. The H. L. Neuman Company made this ice cream at their plant along South Newberry Street in York, PA. Henry Lenhart Neuman founded
Arthur Farquhar recalled his capture by President Abraham Lincoln in the April 1922 issue of McClure’s magazine; a monthly publication sold widely throughout the United States. York industrialist Arthur B. Farquhar was 24-years old when he initiated actions that resulted in the surrender of the Borough of York to thirty
Last month Bob Smyser provided some neat Civil War insight about General Gordon stopping at the house still standing at 3103 East Market Street in Springettsbury Township; prior to his Confederate troops marching to Wrightsville. Bob continues to provide interesting York County related Smyser family history with this post. Bob
I received an unexpected reaction to last weeks post: General Gordon napped at 3103 East Market Street. This post answers that inquiry and also provides additional details about Albert Smyser’s prized horse; stolen by the confederate troops when they invaded York County during 1863. A reader inquired why the house
Bob Smyser had a passing interest in family history when he was given a box of papers, recently discovered by his dad; it contained family history research, started by his dad’s grandmother. I met Bob at my family history talk near Pittsburgh last month. He shared a Civil War era
In 2015, Helen Rinehart responded to my post The Famed Twin Barns along Mt. Rose Avenue. Helen was certain her sister Karen took close-up color photos of the decorative barns before they were torn down in 1965. This week I heard back from Helen, with an apology, she wrote, “My
This photo of the mile long steel railroad bridge over the Susquehanna River, linking Wrightsville and Columbia, is believed to include some of the workmen that erected the bridge in 21 working days during 1897. The Pennsylvania Railroad used the divide and conquer method to accelerate bridge construction. The railroad
Today the Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands at a prominent place in York’s Penn Common, however in the early morning darkness of Saturday September 16th, 1876, three monster trains, containing 120 railroad cars, pulled into York, Pennsylvania. They occupied one of the double tracked rails of the Northern Central Railroad,