York Town Square

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Gifford Pinchot: Natural resource conservation was his cause – Linked in with neat York, Pa., history stuff – Oct. 22, 2009

This portrait of Gifford Pinchot hangs in his namesake state park in northern York County. A recent York Daily Record/Sunday News story – Pinchot was Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘conscience’ on conservation – on a new book about Pinchot helps explain the conservationist’s place in history. (See additional photo below.) Also of interest: First Pinchot Road in York County example of Great Depression-era stimulus project and York native, Pa. Gov. George Leader cleared dam plan and Local county and state parks: York County’s best idea?

From the mailbag and Web: A mixed bag of links to a bit of everything around York County:
An recent e-mailer bought a feedback marked Hespenheide & Thompson Feed Mill at an antique mall in Maryland.
Virginia Selak’s efforts to learn more about the mill on the Web was not particularly successful, other than the fact it operated at Beaver and North Streets in York, Pa.
“I always thought it was the former owners of the Ohio Blenders Company,” she wrote.
In light of the ongoing demolition of the silos to make way for the Northwest Triangle, Virginia wanted to check her accuracy.
Was Ohio Blenders formerly Hespenheide & Thompson? she asked.
And then she added:
“I hung the feed bag on my wall in my kitchen.”
Comment below if you can help this e-mailer.
– More neat stuff below. –

This plaque hangs in the office at Gifford Pinchot State Park. Pinchot, a two-time Pennsylvania governor never lived in York County but visited here frequently.
Another e-mailer, a compiler of the descendants of J. Wilhelm Ehrhart & A. Catarina Schreiner, is looking for a list of York County buildings under either local or national protection. Is there a structure of importance in Shrewsbury Township?
She provided a bit more information:

It seems to me that the old Ehrhart Tavern/Inn should be on some preservation list. It was willed by the emigrant J.Wilhelm Ehrhart to his oldest son Thomas in 1781. Thomas seems to have enlarged it as his name is up near the roof & is dated 1791. Thomas died in 1799 leaving it to his oldest son John. A big celebration was held there at the election of a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) governor, as recorded in Gibson’s history. John died in 1825 & I have not researched what happened to it then. … The beautiful, stone building appears to be still in great shape & I’m told is occupied as apartments. It is certainly large enough to have been an overnight stop for travelers along the old Susquehanna Trail, not so far from the Maryland border. Perhaps a day’s ride from York at the time?

The National Register of Historic Places can be searched via the post: Click on the National Register of Historic Places link and enjoy a tour of York County historic sites. If anyone else has information on that building, please comment below.
– Fellow blogger June Lloyd has posted an interesting photo and piece about what actually was found at the recent Schultz House dig. That work was designed to find artifacts from nearby American Revolution prisoner-of-war stockage – Camp Security.
– Two forums are available to weigh in on which York County potato chip maker puts out the best chips. Weigh in at: Who makes the best potato chips in York County, Martin’s or Utz? Or someone else? or the York County bulletin board, The Exchange.
People are tuning in to this with the recent news of the proposed acquisition of Utz’s by Snyder’s of Hanover.