Teddy Roosevelt in York: ‘I know York county farmers are prosperous. Their barns are bigger than their houses’
Theodore Roosevelt’s1906 visit made York County news when The York Dispatch published a rare front-page photo. This marked one of the last times – if not the last time – the Dispatch would depart from a gray, eight-column front page without photos for the next 82 years. The image of another U.S. president, George Bush, prompted a front-page photo in 1988. Roosevelt, just back from dedicating the new capitol building in Harrisburg, rode in an open carriage from York’s Centre Square to the fairgrounds where he touted York’s growing prosperity. That carriage probably crossed West York Avenue, later re-named Roosevelt Avenue, after Teddy (not Franklin D. as is sometimes believed.) Background posts: Presidential visits listed, York-based historian shakes hands with 8 U.S. presidents and Presidents visit York, alive and via funeral trains
In the buildup to the inauguration of new U.S. President Barack Obama, I’ll post numerous entries here about presidential links to York County.
We’ll start with the well-attended visit by popular U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt… .
We’ll let headlines from The York Gazette tell part of the story of his visit:
“Remarkable Ovation To President Roosevelt on His Visit to York Fair.”
“Disagreeable Weather Did Not Dampen Enthusiasm Of Thousand of Citizens.”
“Politics Entirely Ignored.”
“Driven Through Main Thoroughfare of City Amid The Shouts and Hurrahs of His Friends Who Were All The People.”
“Spoke to 25,000 Persons At The Fair Grounds.
And an anecdote:
“No matter how hard the year,” the president said, “make it a rule to lay by a little.”
To which, a member of the crowd at the fairgrounds replied, “Amen, every little helps.”
The president smiles showing the large teeth caricatured by cartoonists.
“You bet, every little helps,” he said.
The newspaper reported: “And everybody laughed and everybody cheered.”
And a quote:
“You see, I know York county farmers are prosperous. Their barns are bigger than their houses.”
And here’s a sampling of past York Fair posts:
Teddy Roosevelt at the York Fair: ‘I know York county farmers are prosperous. Their barns are bigger than their houses’.
This York Fair mural is fading from sight .
Good old days at the York Fair were at least old.
JFK received grand applause at York Fair visit.
Young curators produce York Fair exhibit: ‘A Fair of Our Own’.
All’s Fair blog gives all kinds of insight about York Fair.
Both Yanks, Rebs camped at old York Fairgrounds.
‘The lower she sank in her chair’.
