York Town Square

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Part III: ‘Yesteryears’ chock-full of southern York County, Pa., sites

The Stewartstown (Pa.) Area Historical Society has put forth another book of photos, which includes this scene from a swimming pool that is no longer there. This is Glady’s Pool, owned by Elwood Glatfelter Sr. Miller’s Mobile Home Park and Sales is located on the spot of this old York County, Pa., pool, which opened in the early 1950s. The book is available at the Stewartstown Area Historical Society from 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Anyone wanting more information, or to place an order, can call 717-993-6735, 717-993-2104, or 382-4993. The price is $20. (See additional photos below.) Also of interest: ‘Yesteryears’ chock-full of southern York County sites – Part I and ‘Yesteryears,’ Part II and Fawn Township’s magnificent Centre Presbyterian Church worthy of a looksee.

“Yesteryears in Southern York County,” not only displays photographs of how that area has changed over time, it explains that change as well.
Take agriculture for example, a centuries-old occupation that the book compilers respect greatly:

Eight junior classmates at Fawn Township Vocational High School clown around in 1934. That’s “Chub” Howard Brown’s car, a Ford Model T sedan. Kathryn (Brown) Jordan is on the fender. On the hood, from left: Janet (Morris) Edie, Betty Brown, and Jane (McElwain) Gent. William Theophel, Rolland Morris, and Edwin Sprenkle are on the running board. Clinton Matson is in the driver’s seat.

“We know farmers, we talk to farmers, or we are farmers. Farming skills and practices are much admired. How the crops are going is still an important subject of conversations.”
“We do have a pattern of fewer farm families and larger farm operations. We have several farming operations that plant and harvest over 1,000 acres. A generation ago, that was not so. We still have farm equipment moving over our local roads. Some of the tractors and combines are huge. The heads of the combines, the part that picks the corn or cuts the grain, are so wide they they have to travel sideways, separated from the combine, on their own special wagon.
“In the past we had many more potatoes grown than we see now. The two most dominant crops now are field corn and soybeans. We have family farms producing peaches, apples, cherries, blueberries, and strawberries. Some of these farms have “pick-your-own” options. The raising of hogs, cattle, and chickens is just about phased out in our area.”

Such is the insight from “Yesteryears.” And that’s in addition to the scores of photos from that beautiful section of York County.
Archives:
All York Town Square posts from the start. (Key word search by using “find” on browser.)
– Of course, you can always search for York Town Square posts on Google. For example, search for yorktownsquare and Stewartstown and you get this.

This windmill turned on the J. Mont McGinnis farm near New Park. The enclosed windmill protected the mechanical parts inside. Gasoline engines and electric motors replaced windmills for pumping water.