Discover how the Grantley Plant began 100-years ago, via a short history of the eight buildings opening during the initial five years. They were the origins of a 57-building complex providing jobs for generations of York County residents. Going into its second Century, part of the Grantley Plant continues to produce cooling products used around the world.
The Historic Hoover Building in first block of Philadelphia Street was constructed in 1892 for George W. Hoover, however for the greater part of its life it served as the York Dispatch Newspaper Offices. In 1978, this became the 16th property in York County listed on the National Register of Historic Places, largely due to its rare four-story cast iron and pressed metal façade.
The July 12, 2024 warehouse fire at 951 Elm Street in York was in the former Wheatfield Street plant of York-Hoover Body Corporation. In 1904, the predecessor Hoover Wagon Company had a major fire that leveled their factory on the same site. John A. Dempwolf designed the replacement factory in 1904, which was the oldest of the buildings that went up in flames this month.
The York County History Center Collection contains a neat group photo of hundreds of York Manufacturing Company employees; which was tentatively dated circa 1895. On the back is a label for Swords Bros. Photographers, 25 West Market Street, York, PA. This post pinpoints February 3rd, 1902, as the date the
Don Farr submitted a photo of a bell manufactured by Baugher & Bro., of York, PA. The manufacture of bells was a specialized foundry trade and research suggests 150-years-ago Baugher & Bro. might be the first York County foundry to produce bells. The bell has a mouth diameter of 19-inches
Jim Hansen of Helena, Montana, inquired about a product I was not immediately aware of in the A. B. Farquhar Company history. However, research reveals conveyors have a notable place in the Farquhar story and were some of the final products manufactured at the massive Farquhar complex of factory buildings in downtown York.
Join me next Tuesday evening at the Mansion of the Hanover Area Historical Society for my newest presentation exploring forty early Hanover Factories. I’ll examine neat facts concerning these 19th Century Hanover factories; while bringing the story of several of them into the 20th Century. This Hanover Area Historical Society
Publishing houses producing York County newspapers in 1899 were defined by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as factories. York County had three newspapers based in York City that year, however there were also nine newspapers published around the county. I’ll be presenting my talk “Countdown of the Top 50 York County
This undated A. B. Farquhar Company letterhead notes the company was “Formerly A. B. Farquhar & Son.” It lists Arthur B. Farquhar as Chairman and his son William E. Farquhar as Assistant Chairman and Secretary. On January 1, 1889, the business, otherwise known as the Pennsylvania Agricultural Works, was incorporated
This is the earliest view of the York Manufacturing Company along Roosevelt Avenue, a road then named West York Avenue; which runs along the bottom left of the illustration. The York Manufacturing Company had there own passenger railroad station; seen immediately to the right of the factory, next to Roosevelt