York Town Square

A fun part about blogging is reader reaction generated by the posts. A series of posts on this blog about White Oak Park, The Shady Dell and other hangouts attracted numerous comments on the blog and helped sponsors of a compilation album of bands playing at The Oaks to collect information on the now-defunct park. This photo shows the folks at the Dell at a York Fair. Background post: First post, Yorktownsquare.com., Sept. 18, 2005, Journalism goes back to the future.

My recent York Sunday News column York’s rich history – in print and online traced the writing of history books in York County’s history.
Near the end, it veered a new way of telling local history stories – via blogging. It introduced four Yorkbloggers on history topics – Scott Mingus, Scott Butcher, June Lloyd and myself.
Why blog on local history? …

I wrote:

“These respected bloggers, exploring issues from York/Adams history, will present insights and information and understanding about our great region that has never been brought forth before.
“A shared sense of history can help build consensus in a York County community that sometimes spins in different directions all at once.”

Here are thumbnail sketches of the four bloggers:
Blogger: Scott Butcher
Blog name: Windows into York, yorkblog.com/window
Blog topic: The history of local buildings through the stories behind their facades.
Research, publications include: “Civil War Walking Tour of York,” “York: Postcard History Series.”
Blogger: James McClure
Blog name: Yorktownsquare.com
Blog topic: Explores York/Adams’ past and connects it to the present.
Research and publications include: “Never to be Forgotten, a year-by-year look at York County’s past,” “East of Gettysburg, a gray cloud crosses York County, Pa.” York Daily Record/Sunday News columns.
Blogger: Scott Mingus
Blog name: Cannonball, yorkblog.com/cannonball
Blog topic: To explore York County’s rich Civil War heritage, always looking for the human angle.
Research and publications include: “Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg Campaign,” “Human Interest Stories from Antietam,” plus the upcoming “Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition.”
Blogger: June Lloyd
Blog name: UniversalYork, yorkblog.com/universal
Blog topic: To explore York’s place in regional, national and international events.
Research, publications include: “Faith and Family, Pennsylvania German Heritage in York County Area Fraktur.” Monthly York Daily Record/Sunday News columns.
(Photo courtesy, “York Then and Now,” 1999)
Additional posts on the Shady Dell or White Oak Park:
–Just try to resist this memory-tugging photo of White Oak Park.
–Stadium will be site of The Oaks music reunion
–Wanted: Old photos of teen hangout.
–Memorabilia from ‘the Oaks’ hard to come by.
–Memories of The Oaks pile up.
–Memories of The Oaks pile up – Part II
–The Dell: ‘It was like family’.
–White Oak Park welcomed Blaw-Knox workers .
– Just try to resist this memory-tugging photography of White Oak Park, Part II.