York Town Square

Acme Wagon Works opened in Emigsville in the late 1880s and grew into a major Manchester Township maker of wagons and parts. Later, sleds became its trademark product: Royal Plane sleds. The business is long closed, but small businesses operate in its buildings today. Emigsville long played host to York County’s major north/south road and railroad, plus the trolley system. In an interesting twist, Emigsville is a walkable town today — its layout is such that residents can stroll to the post office, the deli and church. Also of interest: 50-year York County construction company’s closure: ‘It was a bittersweet day for all of us’ and Yes sir, in York County, Pa., it’s pronounced ‘Yorkshur,’ just like pudding and Cumberland County reseacher seeks info on Emigsville’s American Acme-built fire engine.

My York Sunday News column (5/9/10) explores how a loose-knit group of community-minded citizens, the Emigsville Heritage Project, is working to maintain and promote community.
That’s particularly important in this unincorporated Manchester Township village, which does not have a council and mayor. Visit: Emigsville shows how to build a sense of community.
Here’s an additional thought. Emigsville remains a town where residents and visitors can walk to do any number of things… .

One asset is its post office. It’s near the town’s center.
The U.S. government and its postal service have done much to damage small-town life across America by building post offices outside their cores.
Red Lion’s post office, on the edge of town, is an example. Same goes for York City’s limited-use post office, for that matter.
Post offices are gathering points for people, and consider how many more people you can talk to walking rather than driving.
It’s just hard to understand why the government would so intentionally pick at a community’s fabric that way.
Also of interest:
– All Emigsville-related posts from the start.
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All York Town Square posts from the start.