York Town Square

Neat stuff, below: James Smith’s grave/The Oaks photos/Susquehanna Trail’s dangers
Remember the Little Courthouse that stood on York’s Square for years? That courthouse stands far from the square today. But Hanover has a counterpart, and it comes out every year, at Christmas. Santa’s Cabin in Hanover, seen here in its off-season home on the borough’s maintenance grounds, will be repaired for a special birthday. It will be 75 years old this year.  The Hanover Evening Sun tells all about efforts to spruce up Santa’s longtime Hanover home. Santa’s Cabin even has its own Facebook Page. Also of interest: Where is the Little Courthouse, the old State House, that stood in York’s square for years?

Neat stuff from all over … .

York Town Square readers learned recently about the reading of the Declaration of Independence at signer James Smith’s gravesite.

Turns out that history enthusiasts in another Pennsylvania town will hear a reading of the Declaration.

“I thought some of your readers might be interested in another Declaration of Independence reading, this one in Berks County, at Hopewell Furnace, which helped provide iron for the cannons used in the Revolutionary War,” Evan Brandt, of The Mercury in Pottstown, wrote. Check out: Declaration of Independence, Old School.

And while on Evan’s Digital Notebook blog  (‘All the news that doesn’t fit in print’), noodle around in there. His posts often touch on the rich history of that area.

Looking for photos: Mae Duncan, past president of the Manchester Township Historical Society, is looking for photographs of White Oak Park, the park and old teen hangout that was located in the vicinity of the Masonic Lodge on North George Street.

“We are in the process of creating a 2013 calendar featuring township sites of historical interest. We would like to highlight White Oak Park one month, but information is not easily uncovered. I believe you have featured this park and it’s successor  ‘The Oaks’ in your column in recent years. Could you help us by sharing some pictures and a brief history? You can contact me at Maeduncan@comcast.net.”

I sent her a list of yorktownsquare.com posts  exploring The Oaks, with the explanation that photographs of the landmark are rare. Some of the posts bear photos, and they’re the best that can be found. We put out a call for photos a couple years ago to help organizers of a reunion of The Oaks.

May Mae’s call will prompt some of our readers come forward and help.

Capturing the Battle of Hanover: A Hanover native, a week before the Battle of Hanover’s 149th anniversary, is calling for a mural to mark this significant Civil War cavalry clash. Check out this piece in the Hanover Evening Sun.

Forum of the day: The intersection of Route 216 and the Susquehanna Trail in Springfield Township has been targeted as dangerous. The Trail, both south and north of York, has been considered a safety problem for years. What’s your view of the Susquehanna Trail? Do you avoid driving on it, when possible? Please comment below. Background: Beauty of Susquehanna Trail shrouds its dangers.