York Town Square

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Bear’s on Continental Square: Linked in with neat York County history stuff – Oct. 15, 2009

Lee Schwan shared neat photos about York, Pa., in the 1960s. Here, he shows Bear’s Department Store, on the northwest corner of Continental Square. (See additional downtown York photo below). Also of interest: Downtown thrived in post-WW II York and Columnist: ‘I still have my memories … of the bustling downtown York business district’ .

A mixed bag of links to a bit of everything around York County:

– York Sunday News columnist Gordon Freireich is now a Yorkblogger, part of the York Daily Record/Sunday News stable of community bloggers. See his York at Heart blog where he adds to his 30-year newspaper habit of observing, commenting and remembering York. He writes York at Heart continues those observations on life and family in York – then and now. Gordon has made many appearances on York Town Square via his many York Sunday News columns I’ve linked to and excerpted.

And also … .

Lee Schwan posted this photograph of a Christmas display at Wiest’s Department Store early 1960’s. ‘We moved to York from Johnstown around 1942-43 because my father got a job at the Naval Ordinance Plant. Which qualified us to rent a house in Yorktowne Homes from the federal government. We were the first residents of 857 Fahs Street in Yorktowne. I often wished someone would write something about living in Yorktowne in the 40’s and 50’s.”

– Someone passed on this site, the Veterans History Project that collects and makes public personal accounts of American war veterans. The public can directly hear understand the realities of war directly from the vets.
– Visit the York Daily Record/Sunday News’ Remember series for additional oral histories on local vets and more.
Archeologist June Evans will lead a walking tour of the iron furnace ruins between Marietta and Columbia on Sunday, November 8. Pre-registration is required and is limited to 25 participants. A $5 registration fee includes water, a snack and an historical booklet. To pre-register or for more information, call Claire Storm, president, Rivertownes USA, at 717-684-2489.
– The Honorable Thomas Ward, retired judge from the circuit court of Baltimore city and Director of the Baltimore’s Irish Railroad Workers Museum, will present a slide-lecture at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Freedom on Sunday, Nov.1 at 3 p.m. in Neumann Hall.
The program is sponsored by the parish St. Patrick Society and is free and open to the public. The talk will focus on the Irish people who were part of the railroad and canal construction in the Pennsylvania and Maryland areas. For information and directions, contact the parish at 717-235-2156.