Reader seeks info on York’s coach-building past
Carol Ann Wald is researching a line of her Althoff ancestors, believing they came to Hanover from Maryland between 1830 and 1840.
“Samuel and Joseph Althoff established thriving coach-building shops. Joseph Althoff and his family lived and built coaches on Baltimore Street from at least 1840 to around 1900,” she wrote.
She’s specifically looking for information on coach building in Hanover in this period. She has information from John Gibson’s York County history (See Borough of Hanover, Manufactures).
One point I’ll make:
Wagons, and presumably coaches, would have been fairly common products along York’s transportation routes. For years, the county’s roads provided heavily traveled routes to all points. The prevalence of wagon makers led to York’s role as an early automaker, reaching its heyday in the 19teens.
Incidentally, Carol Ann is another example of an achiever with York County roots. She’s administrative director of the UCLA Center for American Politics & Public Policy (CAPPP), a research institute.
If you can respond to her query, contact her cwald@cappp.ucla.edu or comment below.
