During the early 1900s, there were at least four Smeltzer Cigar Factories in Bittersville; a small village located at the end of the trolley line from York into southeastern York County. Cigar manufacturing was the dominant industry in York County in the early 1900s; both in terms of number of
The Dritt Mansion along the Susquehanna River at Long Level was the site of a lecture on the story behind the Revolutionary War powder horn of Captain Jacob Dritt. Last week’s lecture was part of the Second Wednesday Heritage Lecture Series at The Zimmerman Center for Heritage; a mansion once
In 1832 Phineas Davis built the “Atlantic” an improved version of his 1831 “York” locomotive for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. While the “York” was the first successful coal burning locomotive in the United States, the “Atlantic” was considered the first commercially successful locomotive; finishing its active life as a
Three public talks by Stephen H. Smith are scheduled over the next five weeks. This year, the majority of my talks have been to private groups following luncheons, so this is your chance for the general public to catch some of my newer talks. A synopsis and scheduling of all
A Heritage Lecture at will be given at the Zimmerman Center, 1706 Long Level Road, on November 12, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. This lecture is $8 for Members and $12 for Non-Members, Register online or by calling 717-252-0229 X6. Use this link for further details about the Susquehanna Gateway Heritage
I’ve depicted D. J. Lake surveying the 1860 Map of York County, Pennsylvania, in this illustration. D. J. Lake “went around pushing a wheelbarrow in front of him, and in this barrow he carried his instruments. He did not talk to any one except to ask at every place the
Brenneman’s One-Room Schoolhouse in York Township was located at the northeast corner of Donna Lane (a continuation of Tyler Run Road) with South Queen Street; this is the corner presently occupied by a Wells Fargo Bank. This schoolhouse was built between 1871 and 1876 on Abe Brenneman’s property. It was
This is a zoomed in view of George S. Billmeyer, from the side-by-side portraits of George and his father Charles Billmeyer that appeared in my post Resemblance is remarkable between Goodridge image of Charles Billmeyer and photo of his son, George S. Billmeyer. This photo was taken during the spring
Years ago, John Denney, Jr. told me about a railroad planned thru York County near the end of the Civil War; it was part of a new railway from Washington DC to the Northeastern States. This subject came up only as a brief side-discussion while we talked about the 1868 chartered
RAILCAR GOLD is a historically accurate multi-generational fictional tale of hidden treasure, primarily set in York County, Pennsylvania during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. This is Part 5 of Chapter 9 . . . Lincoln. A new part will be posted every Thursday. Recent chapters stand alone, starting