York Town Square

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Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital city, is busy at night. This is a scene that intersects and parallels with York, Pa.’s downtown story. About a decade ago, York was betting on nightclubs to spawn rebirth to replace loss of retail and other renaissance initiatives. That had worked in Harrisburg, and York’s leaders hoped for similar results. Well, nightclubs didn’t work in York, and actually, the nightclub phase has moved through Harrisburg, too, as this FlipSidePa.com story indicates. Now it’s a place for eateries and music. ‘It has become more attractive now for date night — young professionals going out for an evening for drinks and entertainment. We’re seeing more emphasis on the dining experiences and the variety of experiences that you can have along Second Street still fun, still great nightlife but not every other door is a nightclub,’ a visitors bureau official told FlipSide. You’re seeing some of that in York, too. It’s interesting to track changes in a downtown, and it might make sense to keep an eye on Harrisburg’s transition. York might follow the same path.

James Fritz is a researcher and writer of history. And he lives in a 1700s house near the square in Adams County’s Abbottstown. ‘My new two story log and stone home was located near the town square and the stone half of the dwelling had all the hallmarks of an early structure of Pennsylvania German/Swiss heritage,’ he writes.

This might seem like an easy History Mystery quiz, but it’s been about 10 years since these big metal boxes were taken out of service in York County, Pa. Time passes fast. They were sold in 2006 after their electronic replacements successfully operated earlier that year. So a partial generation of folks never had the opportunity to use these mechanical machines. OK, what are these?