5 images reveal appealing slices of life in York County’s past
Education: This photo contains a mystery: Where was this scene of participants in the York County Teachers Institute taken in 1910? Teachers from the far ends of the county met in York, Pa., for this training. They came together for this photographer, submitted by southeastern York County’s Roger Wilson. The original photo is four-feet wide. Roger emailed that the original belongs to Nancy McFadden, a retired teacher, who lives south of Fawn Grove. Her grandmother was a York County teacher and is posing in the photo. Roger explained that Doug Washburn, Nancy’s cousin, makes digital images from old photos. ‘Scanning the original did not work so Doug took four digital photographs and then “stitched them together,” ‘ he wrote. He also provided this detail: 73 people pose in the front row and an estimated 300 people are in the photo. But where is this scene? Could it be at the York Collegiate Institute on College Avenue? The former Hannah Penn Middle School, also on College Avenue? The old York Post Office on South George Street was a venue for photos, but it wasn’t built until 1912. Comment below if you can figure it out. (Update: 3/19/14 – Some readers did figure it out. See comments at the end of this post.) Also of interest: York County’s former Teachers’ Institutes: ‘Head train the hand. Hand train the head’.
4 more scenes of York County life …
1. Agriculture: Former York County artist Cliff Satterthwaite sent this scene capturing county farm life: ‘(L)ovely twin bank barns with a romantic clover field in front!’ he wrote. The location is unknown but the artist associated it with Kmart or another such discount retailer. If you can ID this site, please comment below.
2. Recreation: Now this scene show has changed but it’s no mystery. It’s the former Playland recreational complex in Springettsbury Township, courtesy of Bob Sallade. For details, check out: Readers share memories of roller skating at Playland.
3. Transportation: Buffy Andrews over at Buffy’s World posted two engaging postcard views of Dover’s Main Street, complete with trolley and its tracks.That just about the end of the trolley line in that direction. The far-flung trolley system ran to and from Bittersville, Hanover, York Haven, Wrightsville – and Dover.
4. Family life: Any album of York/Adams life needs to include a portrait. This one show one of York County’s most accomplished in the 20th century. Can you ID it?
*Edited, 3/15/14
