Last Monday I explored how Barshinger Creek got its name; i.e. from the name of a mill along this creek. Simon A. Barshinger expanded and operated the mill known as Barshinger’s Mill from 1892 to 1920. The location of Barshinger’s Mill site on an overall view of Barshinger Creek was
Two weeks ago I posted an article from the York Daily issue of June 30, 1871 that ended by boasting railcar builder Billmeyer & Small of York “have secured the building of the first one hundred narrow gauge cars ever used in this country, most of which are already far
The York Daily Record article on Saturday about Red Lion Area High School alums and students spearheading an effort to protect the Barshinger Creek freshwater ecosystem caused me to dust off some information in my files about the creek name. This information was gathered for my book Barshingers in America,
General William J. Palmer and his associates incorporated their vision of a grand western railroad, The Denver & Rio Grande, on October 27, 1870. After General Palmer announced in a speech on February 17, 1871 his intention to build his railroad as the countries first narrow gauge railway, many other
York, Pennsylvania can claim the title as one of the earliest railroad manufacturing towns due to the efforts of Phineas Davis. York even honored Phineas Davis by placing his locomotive on the seal of the borough. Does anyone know how long this seal design was used? Davis was responsible for
Last Wednesday I posted a John Denney, Jr. 1965 photo of a Ma & Pa Steam Train Excursion ready to leave the Ma & Pa Railroad Station along East Market Street in York, Pennsylvania. He had just recently realized that the overexposed tall building and taller chimney in the background
When I met John Denney for the first time, one of the first photos he showed me was a doorsill plate from a Billmeyer & Small Passenger Railcar built in 1880 and still in use. John made the comment, “Just think of the stories of all the people that have
When I was a young child, if our family drove to the IVA-LU bungalow, near Accomac, the back way, we headed onto what is now River Drive off of Codorus Furnace Road. Part of the Burnt Cabin One-Room Schoolhouse could still be seen back then. I remember Dad raising the
The names are from two individuals who formed a partnership; which launched the company Billmeyer & Small. The individuals were Charles Billmeyer and David E. Small. The illustration is from a promotional advertisement for a railcar built by their company in 1874 for the Eureka & Palisade Railroad in Nevada.