Conewago crossing near Manchester hot spot for years – Part II
Ed Beck of the Manchester area saw recent York Town Square photos of a trolley car crossing the Conewago Creek, submitted by kinsman Ed Beck of York Township. He put forth this drawing, part of an old flier designed to sell a home on Conewago Summit, near trolley destination Cold Springs Park. Conewago crossing near Manchester hot spot for years, Starbucks roasting plant tucked into corner of York County and Wolf Man. Wolfchester. No, the village of Mount Wolf.
Old Cold Springs Park near Manchester has long been known as a trolley or electric park, built to enhance trolley traffic during off peak times.
For Ed Beck, who has lived near the former park for years, it was known as Atlantic City… .
That’s where people went in the first part of the 20th century to swim, just as many went to Atlantic City at one time to enjoy the waves.
They’d take the trolley to Cold Springs Park, on the Manchester side of he Conewago Creek. They’d enjoy refreshments and other amusements there and then go to Elm Beach on the York Haven side of the creek.
Beck believed some would get back on the trolley to go across the creek to the beach, but his understanding is that some would just wade across the shallow creek to the concrete slab that formed Elm Beach. There was no beach on the Cold Springs side.
Other nuggets supplied by Ed:
– The slab of concrete might still be there, but it’s probably covered with mud.
– Swimmers could buy refreshments from stands on the Elm Beach side of the creek as well.
– Nothing is left of Cold Springs Park, which included a large bandstand, among other buildings. The Cold Springs Apartment complex covers that site, as does the Manchester Post Office and an electric company building.
– For years, the nearby Conewago Inn was known for its turtle soup, giving that busy area another destination point.
“It was the best turtle soup in the world,” he said.
