York Town Square

Winter storms – indeed, most big news events – produce memorable images. For the Blizzard of 1996, it was the York Ice machine sitting on Susquehanna River ice in Long Level, Pa. – Ice upon ice. This spray painted illustration might fill that bill for the winter storms of 2010. The illustration in this York (Pa.) Daily Record/Sunday News photograph serves as a visible indicator that a car sits beneath this Red Lion snow mound. Also of interest: A host of bad weather posts and For years, York countians have eyed amazing, destructive Susquehanna River ice jams and York County newspaper staff powers coverage through blizzard, electrical shutdown.

A mixed bag of neat stuff… .
With two feet of snow on the ground, here’s a chance to think about summer and the prospect of riding or walking between York and Hanover on a rail trail.
The York County Rail Trail Authority received an update of the prospects of putting down such a recreational trail on the old York/Hanover trolley bed.
Some findings, according to a York Daily Record/Sunday News story (2/11/2010):

– The old trolley line’s corridor is still mainly intact.
– Two sections of the trail have been built – in Jackson Township, running west to Spring Grove and within Hanover, largely within streets and through a subdivision.
– The next additions include a .9-mile segment from Cherry Tree Court in Penn Township to Gitts Run Road in Heidelberg Township and a .7-mile segment from Spring Grove Area School District property in Jackson Township to Hosiery Alley in Spring Grove.
– A short history of corridor: The trolley line from York to Hanover, established in in 1908, was about 16.5 miles long and extended from York through Bair Station, Spring Grove and Menges Mills to the center of Hanover. The line carried passengers from 1908 until 1939. In 1950, the property was transferred from Edison Light and Power Company – the owner and operator of the trolley system – to Met-Ed for $1. The land is still used for an electrical transmission system by Met-Ed. Upon completion of the 2003 study, the York County commissioners cut a deal with Met-Ed to make way for the proposed recreational trail.
Recommended Web site, I: Stories explaining the length and breadth of the York Race Riots are post on the Black History section of ydr.com/history.
Recommended Web site, II: Mount Wolf is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a borough this year. Here’s a look at Mount Wolf’s history. Here’s a quote from Bradley Rentzel, who wrote a history of the borough, from that site: “Neither the closing of the town’s major industry, nor the ensuring loss of a host of independent small business – not even the attempt to dissolve the separate identity of Mount Wolf – cause the town to fold up and be forgotten. On the contrary, the town as a residential community thrives…”
Forum post of the day: Here’s a different kind of ice story that doesn’t involve bad weather. For memories when ice was delivered to homes, click on The Iceman Cometh on The Exchange.