York Town Square

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Rebels, Yanks to again journey along York’s West Market Street

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Harper Collins is publishing Jim Lewin’s and P.J. Huff’s “Lines of Contention: Political Cartoons of the Civil War,” in November. This selection shows an 1861 cartoon of Jefferson Davis going off to war, penned by E. Rogers. But see below for a flip view of Davis returning from war… .
So far, The York Emporium has played host to a Millennium Festival, Sci-Fi Saturday and Snake Oil & Other Good-Time Recipes programs.
All this was held among its 500,000-books – and some eight-track tapes.
So when it comes to putting together a Civil War festival, one expects, well, not your everyday presentations.
That’s what the public will get from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22, at the West Market Street store, according to owners Jim Lewin and Pam Farrow. The store sits along the main route taken by rebel troops invading York in late-June 1863.
Here is a tentative partial lineup:


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Flipped over, the drawing provides a different view: Davis as a donkey.

– Heather Heal will speak on Federal cavalry actions in and around York.
– A living historian will portray – and speak about – Jeb Stuart.
– David Turner, York resident and specialist on stereoscopic photography, will relate his field to the war. He will also project a series of original Civil War images in 3D. Guests will don special glasses to watch the show.
– George Anthony will demonstrate mid-19th-century technology – wet plates and all – for photography.
– Two regiments – one Federal and one Confederate – may attend. This may lead to black powder demos in the parking lot.

This new program, free and open to the public, is another in a growing list of Civil War-related festivals in the York area.
For years, the Civil War in York was, well, a lost cause. Lewin and others have managed to find it.
(For more on the Civil War in this region, see Scott Mingus’ blog Cannonball.)