Where was York, Pa.’s first town hall?
Local American Revolution war vet Henry Miller became York’s first chief burgess in 1787. York would not have a mayor until Daniel Noell was elected to the position when the borough became a city in 1887. As a leader in early responders the York Rifles, Miller is gesturing to a target on the side of building, touting his unit’s marksmanship. This is one of a group of American Revolution panels occasionally displayed by the York County Heritage Trust. Background posts: York’s Yankee Doudle went to Boston, York’s mayors since 1887, Scores of American Revolution posts.
An e-mailer raised a good question:
“Where was the original Town Hall of York located in the 1700’s?”
A quick answer is that York would not have needed a town hall until after 1787, when it became a borough with Henry Miller as chief burgess… .
For matters of community import before then, the York County Court House in the middle of the town’s square was a primary meeting place.
I’m not sure the whereabouts of the borough’s operations after 1787. Its officers might have met in the court house or the next-door State House, built in the 1790s to accommodate a growing county government. That would be a tough one to run down, but if anyone knows, please comment below.
York’s present-day City Hall opened on the footprint of the former St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. It had formerly been located on South Duke Street. In early 1942, a few months after city officials moved out, the South Duke Street building became a center for World War II rationing.
Also of interest:
Rationing at York’s old city hall: Typical of life with a war on
