York Town Square

Month after month, the York County historical community regularly produces works of note. So we’re highlighting them!

2022

• Latinos in York County: A leader looks back at the Latino community’s ever-deepening roots. See: Jose Santiago.
• Bookmarked:  A Zoom book club is forming under the York County History Center umbrella, another new way to learn about York County’s rich past. See: Bookmarked.
• York Rotary speech: Samantha Dorm of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, updates Rotarians about restoration work at the historically Black cemetery in North York. See: Lebanon (38.50 mark on the video. 
• Digital projects: A robust lineup of current and future online projects that tell stories about York County history. See: History online.
• Cross-posting: This is a Facebook practice available to local history groups looking to tell about their events & activities. See: Best practices.
• American Dream: York College’s Peter B. Levy presented about “York’s Rosa Parks: Daisy Myers and the Quest for the American Dream” at the History Center. With Lynda Myers. See: Daisy Myers.
• Faith and First Pres: In a video series, Guy Dunham tells the story of the long relationship of historically Black Faith and predominantly white First Presbyterian churches in York: Merger.
• Best practices: These local Facebook sites are prime places to cross-post about all your history group does. See: Cross-posting.
• Keystone Oral Histories: Bryan Wade presented about a new African-American history curriculum at Writers Roundtable. See: Documentary.
• USCT database: The York County History Center houses a database of members of the U.S. Colored Troops with county ties. See: Black Civil War troops.
• Millers’ tales: Thomas Yingling writes about disputes between millers and a water company that ended in court. See: Liquid gold rush. 
• Purple Heart granted: Stephen H. Smith’s research about Pfc. George A. Wood, the only Black fighting man killed in World War I with county ties, helped gain Wood overdue honors. More: George A. Wood.
• Big projects on tap: Culture center, museum, new Goodridge statue and a Hilton, among others on a long list. More: Culture/history initiatives.
  
• Lincoln Highway markers: This project explores Lincoln Highway marker sites and nearby stories. More: Uncovering stories. Uncovering Stories of Lincoln Highway marker sites.
• Brandt database: Veteran researcher Dennis Brandt has compiled a database of Civil War with York/Adams ties: History Center database.
• Hometown History: This YouTube and streaming series is well into its second season. See all of its episodes: YoCo backstory. 
• 2022 Journal:# A story about pre-Prohibition brewing in York leads The Journal of York County Heritage. See: Journal.
• Civil War Roundtable:# Codie Eash tells the York Roundtable about the Lutheran Seminary in the Battle of Gettysburg. See: Gettysburg.
• History community:# The History Center honors important contributors in local history. See: 2022 awards.
• Penny Heaven:# An initiative is underway to raise funds to honor those buried in York’s City Cemetery. See: Potter’s Field. 
• Keystone Oral Histories:# Bryan Wade is producing another series: “Slavery and the Underground Railroad in Southcentral Pennsylvania.” More: Oral histories.
• Speakers available:# A list is available of speakers who will present on local history topics. Check out: Presentations.

2021

• Jamie Noerpel spins a compelling story – a true story – about her two great-great-grandfathers. One was a powwow practitioner and the other served on a jury in the Hex Murder trials of 1929: My York County ancestors.
• Check out this new History Center special virtual project about the Codorus Creek- “Flowing through History: A study of businesses and environmental impacts along the Codorus Creek in York PA.
• Another informative virtual exhibit from the History Center documenting York County’s and S. Morgan Smith’s pioneering efforts to get into the wind power arena 80 years ago: Energy awaits. A story about this then-futuristic project appears in the 2021 Journal of York County Heritage.
• The Hometown History series, presented by Jamie Kinsley and Domi Miller, continues to grow, gaining about 6,000 livestreamed views last episode. The show features mills and milling and was presented before a live audience, packing the lower dining area at Blue Sky Tavern, an old mill in Etters: Millers’ Tales.
• Hanoverian Matt Jackson served as chief editor of 28 outdoor wayside markers explaining and exploring the borough of Hanover: Heart of Hanover Trail.
• Three Northeastern Middle School teachers tell about all levels of history in an ongoing Youtube.com video series: Bobblehead George.
• Young historians continue to emerge on the York County history scene. Kyle David Dunlap, a history major at York College and a learning support teacher, tells about his work in exploring his family history: Lau family research feeds this teacher’s interest in York County history. To learn about the work of other young historians, please see: Young researchers re-energizing York County history writing renaissance.
• Past History Center journals: If you want to see past issues of the Journal of York County Heritage in digital form at no cost, please see: Online bookshelf.
• African-American Cultural Center award: A proposed African American history center on Crispus Attucks Association’s campus wins an architectural design award even before it’s built: Design Awards – AIA Central Pennsylvania.
• Spotlight on historic railroads: York, Cumberland, Adams, Franklin and Carroll County, Md., collaborated in a Regional History Consortium to cover the topic of historic railroads. Such collaboration among counties might be historic in itself. The York County History Center participated, and here is presenter Tina Charles’ in Rails to York.
•  Cemetery preservation: The initial meeting of Pennsylvania Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS) Chapter took place on Nov. 20. The organization will provide a resource for cemetery presentation efforts. See: AGS.
• 1000th member: Luke Broersman noted that Goldsboro Historical Association Facebook group has gained its 1,000th  member.  ‘That’s pretty good … the population of Goldsboro is only around 930.” See: Goldsboro. 
• First Pres series: A conversation between the Rev. Guy Dunham and the Rev. Doug Park is part of York First Presbyterian YouTube series. Parks was pastor of the historically Black Faith Presbyterian Church in 1965, when it merged with First Pres. See: Doug Parks.
• Dogs of War: Scott Mingus and James McClure have collaborated on a book that combines history and modern York County Civil War commentary: ‘Dogs of War in our Midst’: Civil War Perspectives from York County.’ 
• Keystones Presents: A video overview of African-American curricula already in place in York County schools. See: Keystones.
• The Great Migration: Dr. Arwin Smallwood talks about connections between Bertie County, N.C., and York County, Pa. See: African-American families. 
• Daisy Myers’ memoirs: She’s called the “Rosa Parks of the North,” and the York County History Center has republished her out-of-print autobiography. See: From Levittown to York.
• Pioneering sculptor: Artist Lorann Jacobs has helped shape York’s streetscapes with her public art. To do so, she faced immense hurdles. See: The Tinker.
• Glenalvin Goodridge’s portraits: Michael Helfrich presented to the History Center’s Writers Roundtable on this pioneering photographer’s life and times. See: Glenalvin Goodridge.
• Notable deaths: Here is a gallery showing accomplished people with York County ties who passed away in 2021. See: Remembrances, 2021
• Available on Amazon: Two York County History Center publications, Scott Mingus’ “The Ground Swallowed Them Up,” and Daisy Myers’ autobiography “Sticks ‘n Stones” are available on Amazon.com, as well as in the History Center’s book shop. See: Books available digitally.
• Highlighting history, culture: These projects will be completed in the 2020s, and they are a big deal. See: York County initiatives.
• Forest Park highlighted: Local historical groups continue to highlight meaningful topics on digital platforms. Charles Stambaugh and NEYCHIP featured Hanover’s Forest Park in a recent Zoom preservation. See: Electric Park.

If you’d like to recognize other noteworthy work in York County history and culture, contact me, jimmcclure21@outlook.com; Jamie Kinsley, jamietyson2442@gmail.com or Dominish Marie Miller, dominishmiller@gmail.com.