When York, Pa.’s Post Office stood like a lighthouse
Linked in/Neat stuff: York Carriage Works fire/Hanover Clothing moves
Yes, this is the old turn-of-the-20th-century post office, Beaver and Philadelphia in York, Pa. A favorite building for many visitors to the arts district. It’s now part Lighthouse Youth Center Ministry of the York Rescue Mission, below. YDR photographer Paul Kuehnel, who has been inside the structure, says it joins up with next-door Gethsemane Hall to provide a spacious recreational facility. Check out this unique slider to see the before/after effect captured by Paul, who stood in the same spot as the artist in the undated sketch.
For more on this Picturing History series, check out: Looking back. The lighthouse-like architecture is evident from this vantage point. Interesting how things change in 100 years. Today, York’s Post Office operates from a storefront on West Market Street after its recent move from its longtime South George Street site. And no, this isn’t a Dempwolf building, as Yorkblogger June Lloyd explains: More on York’s Architecturally Significant 1895 Post Office.
Other items from all over … .
As a veteran fan of Saint Thomas Roasters in Dauphin County’s Linglestown, it was interesting to find this blog about the the town’s 250th anniversary in 2014.
A blog is an effective format for a borough or township to tell its history. York County’s Emigsville is one in York County that uses this social media tool.
By the way, more than a few of poss on YorkTownSquare.com are written from a seat at the St. Thomas coffee shop.
Worst, bad fire
The York County Heritage Trust photo shows the ruins of the York Carriage Works fire in 1904 that took the lives of three firefighters. Gordon wrote that the fire spread quickly in a business full of wood and paint used to make the carriages. ‘An angry red flame shot up and it was seen that the whole place was doomed,’ a newspaper stated. For more, see: York Carriage Works.
Fighting back: This comprehensive YDR story tells about how west end businesses are working to infuse new commercial life west of the Codorus Creek.
Clothing in Hanover
Hanover Clothing Company has been around since 1923 and will be around for more years. It’s just moving to a nearby location in downtown Hanover. Such stories were a staple of downtowns, and it’s interesting that a men’s clothing store still operates in Hanover’s central business district.
History mystery: I post two of these a day on YDR’s Facebook. About 5,000 people engage with each post. This particular mystery either stumped people or the photo just wasn’t compelling because we fell short of this benchmark. See how you do.
