York Town Square

York artist J. Horace Rudy’s stained glass window oversees Easter flowers at York’s First Moravian Church in 2006. Background posts:York Moravian’s Putz is an unsung, well-sung annual attraction, New York Wire factory whistle concert: ‘We’d stand out on our driveway to hear it’ and St. Mary’s Church product of 19th-century York County language wars.

If someone wanted to, he or she could visit a local museum, attend a lecture or cultural event or take a tour virtually every day in York County.
I make that point in a York Sunday News column, in which I point out a recent Saturday that First Moravian’s Putz was open for viewing and whistemaster Don Ryan gave a lecture on his New York Wire Cloth factory whistle prowess.
What are some pieces of historical information one brings away from such visits? …

Behind the scenes, John Rishel operates the lights and audio at First Moravian’s Christmas Putz in 2004.
Here’s an intriguing one for the Putz, a large creche telling the Christmas story:
According to First Moravian’s Web site, some congregants canvassed the site of Moravian founder John Hus’s former church in eastern Europe.They found a piece of stained glass that was later incorporated into J. Horace Rudy’s large window above the church’s chancel (not immediately visible in the photo above).
As for the factory whistle, Don Ryan pointed out that depending on the wind, the whistle can be heard 10-12 miles away. For example, he’s heard reports that those in Columbia, across the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, have heard a whistle. They can’t make out notes, but they know something is sounding.
If you want to see how I tied together the Putz and factory whistle – two icons of York County, click here.
To hear a sample of the New York Wire Cloth’s music, click here.
To see more of J. Horace Rudy’s work in York, click here.