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Murals of the Lafayette Club, York County, Pa.: Linked in with neat history stuff – July 10, 2010

The 85th anniversary booklet for the then-exclusive men’s club, the Lafayette Club, carries this photo with an explanation of how the murals painter, C.X. Carlson, worked. That is, he often had an audience of diners overseeing his work in the former P.A. Small Mansion that serves as club headquarters. Carlson responded by painting replies into the numerous colorful murals. For example, in one mural, an Indian brave is seen among the Susquehanna River rocks at Accomac, stalking settlers in a flatboat. A closer look shows him sneaking up on a glass tumbler on a stone ledge. “Historically, this is the origin of a martini on the rocks with a twist,” the writer of the booklet quips. The booklet traces the club’s origin: The York Club: 1858-1899, York Bicycle Club,1888-1891; York Cycle Club, 1891-1898; Bachelor’s Club, 1898-1908; and Lafayette Club, 1898. Also of interest:10 years ago, York’s exclusive Lafayette Club became less exclusive, Part I, Part II and Marquis de Lafayette captivates folks even today.

Neat stuff from all over ….
Buffy Andrews of Buffy’s Write Zone blog has posted more entries from her mother-in-law Ethel P. Hershey Gross’s autograph book at Wellsville High School, year 1933-34.
The entries supply an engaging snapshot of teenage thoughts in those years… .


Buffy, assistant managing editor/features at the York Daily Record/Sunday News, noted the names from that era: Fairy and Lena.
“I wonder what kind of Coca-Cola battles they had,” Buffy commented.
A commenter on the post wrote;
“This is a lot more entertaining than what the kids write in each other’s yearbooks today! My fifth graders just sign their names or write HAGS or BFF.
“Sigh. How can we bring this back?”
To see previous autograph book entries on Buffy’s blog, click here Life’s treasures: Autograph books .
Upcoming event, I: Claire Storm will present on “Rivertownes of the Susquehanna” at part of the York County Heritage Trust’s Second Saturday program. The program will begin at 10:30 a.m., today, at the Historical Society Museum, 250 E. Market St., York.
Upcoming event, II: I’ll be speaking on presidential visits to the West Manchester Township Historical Society at 7 p.m., Monday, July 19, at the township building.
Upcoming event, III: Learn how archaeologists work to uncover the structures and artifacts that help tell the story of the historic Mary Ann Furnace at Codorus State Park. The next walk is Aug. 12. Register for the free event by calling 428-1961. The park is at 12600 Smith Station Road in Hanover.
Blog post of the week: Yorkblogger June Lloyd tells about when P.A. & S. Small’s store in downtown York displayed horse collars in its picture windows.
Forum of the week: Those captivated by whether Lauxmont is pronounced Low-mont or Loucks-mont should try their hand at Only York’s poll: How do you pronounce Kreutz Creek?