York Town Square

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Scenery before the Conowingo Dam impounded the Susquehanna: Linked in with neat history stuff, Feb. 8, 2012

This wide panaramic photograph shows the Conowingo Dam area in Maryland before the dam was built in the mid- and late 1920s. The pond on the Susquehanna River created behind the dam flood Peach Bottom in York County, Pa., and other villages that far upstream. So much of the area in this photograph probably became the floor of the pond as well. Construction seen at the right part  at this photograph, with a 1927 copyright by R.S. Clements, may have been the early stages of construction of the dam. This wide image comes courtesy of Columbus Woods.  Click on this image to see a larger view. (The panel is divided in two below to give an even better look at the scene.) Also of interest: Where exactly is the Susquehanna River’s Holtwood Dam?

Neat stuff from all over … .

Construction has started to build a museum in a seminary building in Gettysburg.

At first, that sounds a little strange: A museum in a seminary.

But parts of the Lutheran seminary played a role in the Battle of Gettysburg and loaned its name to Seminary Ridge. The planned museum will explore  the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the building’s use as a field hospital, and the debate over slavery, according to a Hanover Evening Sun story (1/31/12).

“It will tell the story of suffering and sacrifice, honor and heroism,” a seminary spokesman told the Evening Sun.

Ground Hog Day has meaning? – As it turns out, there is some science behind the day. So says Bill Kreiger, the York College professor who knows a lot about a lot of things. He told the York Daily Record that the day is a cross-quarter day, meaning the mid-point of winter and the first such day of the day. OK, if you want to read more, it’s always good to catch up with Bill Kreiger. 

Billy Graham is everywhere: The York Daily Record/Sunday News’ John Hilton tells an interesting story about York countain Bill Scott, known as the “Billy Graham of India” because of his missions work there. It’s particularly interesting because York County native and longtime missionary Eugene Boyer is known as the “Billy Graham of France.”

 

Blog post of the day: Blake Stough, at preservingyork.com, tells a fascinating story about York’s underground. Intrigued? Check out: Catacombs.

 

Forum of the day: Over at the Exchange, there’s an interesting start of a thread: Books to read before you die.

 


These photos represent the image above, scanned in two images. Notice the bridge then crossing the Susquehanna River. (Click on each image to enlarge.)

Also of interest

– Mermaid spotted in Susquehanna in 1800s: ‘Her hair was platted behind … cut short in front.’

– Who was Norman Wood (of bridge fame)?