Black Bridge carries trains over the Codorus Creek as railroad traffic moves between York and Emigsville. A railroad bridge was first built at this location in 1848. In this postcard view of Black Bridge, the photographer is standing in Manchester Township and looking across the Codorus Creek into Springettsbury Township.
The past month was record breaking in the number of YorksPast readers. I enjoyed seeing many of you at the many talks and events during April. It was a hectic month for me, however these numbers are a nice reward. Thanks to all my loyal and new readers. At the
This photo shows a Pennsylvania Railroad construction gang at Bridge No. 59-43 on July 5, 1934. This bridge has long been called Black Bridge; it carries trains over the Codorus Creek as railroad traffic moves between York and Emigsville. A bridge at this location was originally built in 1848. It
Springettsbury Township section of County Rail Trail The newly opened 2.5-mile section of the Heritage Rail Trail County Park has become my favorite place to take a walk. This Springettsbury Township section extends from the intersection of Route 30 and Loucks Mill Road north along the east side of the
The Northern Central Railway’s Special Schedule, for the Friday April 21, 1865, Lincoln Funeral Train from Baltimore to Harrisburg, lists schedule times for the Pilot Engine; with a footnote indicating the Funeral Train will follow 10-minutes after the Pilot Engine. After I gave a talk in Glen Rock, I got
Gardner Cobb was the Engineer who ran the Northern Central locomotive on the train taking the Abraham Lincoln party from Harrisburg, PA, to Baltimore in the next to last leg of the grand Lincoln First Inaugural rail route from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, D.C. The morning of February 22, 1861, Engineer
An obituary of Gardner Cobb appeared in The New York Times on April 7, 1908. The obituary was concise, while emphasizing a connection to Abraham Lincoln. Gardner Cobb, one of the oldest railroad engineers in the country, died in Shamokin, Penn., last night. He ran President Lincoln’s funeral train a
Classics from YorksPast; Prelude to posts on Lincoln’s Engineer After posting Why is the Steam Into History locomotive named York #17 ? three months ago, I’ve had a few queries from readers with questions like: Is this really the type of locomotive that pulled Lincoln’s train to Gettysburg? Is this really
In 1852, Jacob G. Hauer established the Spring Forge Paper Mill within a former iron forge; it was the first paper mill in what is now Spring Grove. After Jacob died in 1855, his widow Susan hired operators to keep the paper mill running for Jacob’s heirs. By 1863, the
During the past month, I’ve heard from many family historians. All were very appreciative of my post where I explored why York’s addresses changed. Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions for future posts! I hope to see many of you during my April presentation at the Lancaster Family