The volunteer is 82-year-old Dick Hershey.

And his represents AARP, the group focusing on issues facing people over 50.

And the medium he is using to promote the tax prep services is Facebook.

And the method is cross-posting on Facebook.

You can read how he does it: How to tell the world about the good things your organization does.

Cross-posting, when done correctly, is a best practice in sending a post to more than one group.

This practice, encouraged by Facebook and welcomed by moderators of many York County Facebook groups, targets posts or stories from non-profit clubs and organizations to relevant Facebook groups and pages.

Indeed, Facebook has a function that allows easy cross-posting. It also is best to put a thoughtful message in the status area before posting.

What do moderators mean by relevant? You wouldn’t want to post a local event that is happening mainly for Wrightsville residents to a Hanover group. However, if the Wrightsville event is regional in scope – the annual Bridge Bust, for example, a post on that event is a candidate for cross-posting in Hanover.

With the help of Dick Hershey and others, I am putting forth this list of groups and pages that accept relevant or appropriate posts, and welcome additions to this list: jimmcclure21@outlook.com.

If you want to study a well-managed group to understand a healthy community conversation that any non-profit would want to join, check out Mike Thomas’ 44,000-member Southern York County PA group.

Extending your story’s reaching/Community friendly groups and pages

Post relevant subject matter in these FB pages or groups

• *No Sweat York (YDR) (fitness): https://www.facebook.com/groups/NoSweatYork/
• *Retro York (YDR) (history) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/retroyork/
• *Fixing York (YDR) (community): https://www.facebook.com/groups/fixingyorkpa/
• *Hanover Helps (Evening Sun)- https://www.facebook.com/groups/124551117891084/
• *Central Pennsylvania Eats & Entertainment (YDR) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/centralpaeats/
• FYI in Franklin County (Public Opinion): https://www.facebook.com/groups/FYIFranklinCounty/
• *Eastern York County Pa. (YDR): https://www.facebook.com/groups/easternyorkcountypa/
• *Northern York County Pa (YDR): https://www.facebook.com/groups/northernyorkcountypa/

Community sites

Post your stories in relevant community FB groups. Some of the most effective:

• *Southern York County PA: (18) Southern York County PA | Facebook
• *York County PA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/YorkCountyPaGroup/
• *York Pa. Happenings & World Events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/707336766054214/
• Hanover Area Watch Group: (1) Hanover Area Watch Group (HAWG) | Facebook
• All About Hanover: (3) All About Hanover (AAH) | Facebook
• Hanover Area News Source: (6) Hanover Area News Source (HANS) | Facebook
• *Old Hanover (PA): (2) OLD HANOVER (PA) | Facebook
• The Movement: (2) The Movement | Facebook
• *Hellam Wrightsville Columbia PA: (1) Hellam Wrightsville Columbia, PA | Facebook.
• Red Lion Community Members: Red Lion Community Members | Facebook
• Red Lion Happenings: (13) Red Lion Happenings | Facebook
• *Red Lion-Dallastown-Yoe Community Page: (9) Red Lion-Dallastown-Yoe Community Page | Facebook.
• *The Central Pa. Network – (4) Central PA Community | Facebook.
• Dover, PA Facebook Group – (6) Dover, PA | Facebook.
• Life in West Manchester Township, York County PA: (6) Life in West Manchester Township, York County PA | Facebook
• *Preserving the History of Newberrytown: (8) Preserving The History Of Newberrytown | Facebook (This group is history oriented, but accepts community news and serves as a community hub.)
• The VALLEY: 4 Good Change in the 717 & Susquehanna Valley. (Community issues.)
• Culture on the Line Facebook Page. (York/Adams artists, their fans and news about art exhibits). On the page, message: Content to administrator Andrew Smith).
• The Good in York County: (8) The Good in York County | Facebook
• Pennsylvania History: Pennsylvania History. 
• *Preserving York (history): https://www.facebook.com/groups/preservingyork. (County history site.)
• Randomly York Pa: (9) Randomly Historic York,Pa. | Facebook
• Almost every community has one and will accept relevant posts. Some examples: *(10) Friends of Codorus Valley Area Historical Society | Facebook; (8) Red Lion History & Preservation | Facebook and https://www.facebook.com/groups/GoldsboroHistory

*Please note this difference between a Facebook group and a page. When you share to a group, your post will immediately appear on the page, unless the moderator has set things up so it must be approved first. In most cases, you cannot share to a page, but you can message the administrator.

2022

• Latinos in York County: A leader looks back at the Latino community’s ever-deepening roots. See: Jose Santiago.
• Bookmarked:  A Zoom book club is forming under the York County History Center umbrella, another new way to learn about York County’s rich past. See: Bookmarked.
• York Rotary speech: Samantha Dorm of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, updates Rotarians about restoration work at the historically Black cemetery in North York. See: Lebanon (38.50 mark on the video. 
• Digital projects: A robust lineup of current and future online projects that tell stories about York County history. See: History online.
• Cross-posting: This is a Facebook practice available to local history groups looking to tell about their events & activities. See: Best practices.
• American Dream: York College’s Peter B. Levy presented about “York’s Rosa Parks: Daisy Myers and the Quest for the American Dream” at the History Center. With Lynda Myers. See: Daisy Myers.
• Faith and First Pres: In a video series, Guy Dunham tells the story of the long relationship of historically Black Faith and predominantly white First Presbyterian churches in York: Merger.
• Best practices: These local Facebook sites are prime places to cross-post about all your history group does. See: Cross-posting.
• Keystone Oral Histories: Bryan Wade presented about a new African-American history curriculum at Writers Roundtable. See: Documentary.
• USCT database: The York County History Center houses a database of members of the U.S. Colored Troops with county ties. See: Black Civil War troops.
• Millers’ tales: Thomas Yingling writes about disputes between millers and a water company that ended in court. See: Liquid gold rush. 
• Purple Heart granted: Stephen H. Smith’s research about Pfc. George A. Wood, the only Black fighting man killed in World War I with county ties, helped gain Wood overdue honors. More: George A. Wood.
• Big projects on tap: Culture center, museum, new Goodridge statue and a Hilton, among others on a long list. More: Culture/history initiatives.
  
• Lincoln Highway markers: This project explores Lincoln Highway marker sites and nearby stories. More: Uncovering stories. Uncovering Stories of Lincoln Highway marker sites.
• Brandt database: Veteran researcher Dennis Brandt has compiled a database of Civil War with York/Adams ties: History Center database.
• Hometown History: This YouTube and streaming series is well into its second season. See all of its episodes: YoCo backstory. 
• 2022 Journal:# A story about pre-Prohibition brewing in York leads The Journal of York County Heritage. See: Journal.
• Civil War Roundtable:# Codie Eash tells the York Roundtable about the Lutheran Seminary in the Battle of Gettysburg. See: Gettysburg.
• History community:# The History Center honors important contributors in local history. See: 2022 awards.
• Penny Heaven:# An initiative is underway to raise funds to honor those buried in York’s City Cemetery. See: Potter’s Field. 
• Keystone Oral Histories:# Bryan Wade is producing another series: “Slavery and the Underground Railroad in Southcentral Pennsylvania.” More: Oral histories.
• Speakers available:# A list is available of speakers who will present on local history topics. Check out: Presentations.

2021

• Jamie Noerpel spins a compelling story – a true story – about her two great-great-grandfathers. One was a powwow practitioner and the other served on a jury in the Hex Murder trials of 1929: My York County ancestors.
• Check out this new History Center special virtual project about the Codorus Creek- “Flowing through History: A study of businesses and environmental impacts along the Codorus Creek in York PA.
• Another informative virtual exhibit from the History Center documenting York County’s and S. Morgan Smith’s pioneering efforts to get into the wind power arena 80 years ago: Energy awaits. A story about this then-futuristic project appears in the 2021 Journal of York County Heritage.
• The Hometown History series, presented by Jamie Kinsley and Domi Miller, continues to grow, gaining about 6,000 livestreamed views last episode. The show features mills and milling and was presented before a live audience, packing the lower dining area at Blue Sky Tavern, an old mill in Etters: Millers’ Tales.
• Hanoverian Matt Jackson served as chief editor of 28 outdoor wayside markers explaining and exploring the borough of Hanover: Heart of Hanover Trail.
• Three Northeastern Middle School teachers tell about all levels of history in an ongoing Youtube.com video series: Bobblehead George.
• Young historians continue to emerge on the York County history scene. Kyle David Dunlap, a history major at York College and a learning support teacher, tells about his work in exploring his family history: Lau family research feeds this teacher’s interest in York County history. To learn about the work of other young historians, please see: Young researchers re-energizing York County history writing renaissance.
• Past History Center journals: If you want to see past issues of the Journal of York County Heritage in digital form at no cost, please see: Online bookshelf.
• African-American Cultural Center award: A proposed African American history center on Crispus Attucks Association’s campus wins an architectural design award even before it’s built: Design Awards – AIA Central Pennsylvania.
• Spotlight on historic railroads: York, Cumberland, Adams, Franklin and Carroll County, Md., collaborated in a Regional History Consortium to cover the topic of historic railroads. Such collaboration among counties might be historic in itself. The York County History Center participated, and here is presenter Tina Charles’ in Rails to York.
•  Cemetery preservation: The initial meeting of Pennsylvania Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS) Chapter took place on Nov. 20. The organization will provide a resource for cemetery presentation efforts. See: AGS.
• 1000th member: Luke Broersman noted that Goldsboro Historical Association Facebook group has gained its 1,000th  member.  ‘That’s pretty good … the population of Goldsboro is only around 930.” See: Goldsboro. 
• First Pres series: A conversation between the Rev. Guy Dunham and the Rev. Doug Park is part of York First Presbyterian YouTube series. Parks was pastor of the historically Black Faith Presbyterian Church in 1965, when it merged with First Pres. See: Doug Parks.
• Dogs of War: Scott Mingus and James McClure have collaborated on a book that combines history and modern York County Civil War commentary: ‘Dogs of War in our Midst’: Civil War Perspectives from York County.’ 
• Keystones Presents: A video overview of African-American curricula already in place in York County schools. See: Keystones.
• The Great Migration: Dr. Arwin Smallwood talks about connections between Bertie County, N.C., and York County, Pa. See: African-American families. 
• Daisy Myers’ memoirs: She’s called the “Rosa Parks of the North,” and the York County History Center has republished her out-of-print autobiography. See: From Levittown to York.
• Pioneering sculptor: Artist Lorann Jacobs has helped shape York’s streetscapes with her public art. To do so, she faced immense hurdles. See: The Tinker.
• Glenalvin Goodridge’s portraits: Michael Helfrich presented to the History Center’s Writers Roundtable on this pioneering photographer’s life and times. See: Glenalvin Goodridge.
• Notable deaths: Here is a gallery showing accomplished people with York County ties who passed away in 2021. See: Remembrances, 2021
• Available on Amazon: Two York County History Center publications, Scott Mingus’ “The Ground Swallowed Them Up,” and Daisy Myers’ autobiography “Sticks ‘n Stones” are available on Amazon.com, as well as in the History Center’s book shop. See: Books available digitally.
• Highlighting history, culture: These projects will be completed in the 2020s, and they are a big deal. See: York County initiatives.
• Forest Park highlighted: Local historical groups continue to highlight meaningful topics on digital platforms. Charles Stambaugh and NEYCHIP featured Hanover’s Forest Park in a recent Zoom preservation. See: Electric Park.

If you’d like to recognize other noteworthy work in York County history and culture, contact me, jimmcclure21@outlook.com; Jamie Kinsley, jamietyson2442@gmail.com or Dominish Marie Miller, dominishmiller@gmail.com.

He came from a family who met on the traditional Christian worship day, Sunday, the first day of the week.

He was pleased with this arrangement. It gave him two days of Sabbath rest — both Saturday and Sunday — in a farming community where such time off was a luxury.

Or the story could have been the other way around, said Glenn Julius, longtime resident of this western York County township. The worker could have come from a family who worshipped on Saturday and thus enjoyed Sunday off, too.

That was about the only thing the 99-year-old was not sure of in a February interview and a recent tour of this remote rural region. Both occasions focused on the relationship of York County’s Seventh Day Baptists, a settlement emerging from the Ephrata Cloister, and a congregation known today as Bermudian Church of the Brethren.

The story of the farmworker shows how two groups coming to America in the 1700s to, in part, escape religious persecution could work things out, while living near each other in a remote part of York County. They formed a community, a membership, that exists to this day.

The two Protestant groups differed on two key points: the day of the week that the Bible required worship and attentiveness to the Advent, or second coming of Jesus. That Adventist theology, as it’s called, was a hallmark of the Seventh Day Baptist beliefs, as was Saturday worship.

The two groups eventually intermarried and the Seventh Day Baptist group became part of Bermudian Church of the Brethren by about 1820.

Community membership

Julius was primarily responsible for establishing a reminder of those days that York County’s Bermudian Settlement was part of a network of Seventh Day Baptist communities coming from the Ephrata Cloister and settling in Snow Hill, Franklin County; Salemville, Bedford County; and elsewhere.

He restored a family cemetery on the Markey Farm in this fertile land between the Bermudian and Big Conewago creeks that includes the resting place of members of the Bermudian Settlement or their descendants.

In our February interview, Julius eagerly spoke about getting out when the pandemic eased to show the places with great meaning and historic importance in this rolling area that you pass through after crossing over the Big Conewago on Davidsburg Road near Detters Mill.

This month, we went on that tour with Glenn, accompanied by his son, Galen.

The vestiges of 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania German life promised to be fascinating – and, indeed, they were.

Please check out the pictures from the tour below. And for the rest of this story, please see: Finding community and membership in remote York County.

Born in York, he is the grandson of the prominent J. Edgar Small family that lived there and heard many stories about this landmark from his mother, Ann Small Niess. He has visited it many times after it passed from owner to owner. Today, Elmwood House, as the family calls it, is owned by Inch & Co., a construction company that has remodeled it as home for its real estate and property management divisions.

Niess has another interest – a vocation, really – that draws him to the mansion. He’s a principal in Chestnutt-Niess architectural firm and longtime architectural faculty member and vice dean of the Peter Behrens School of Arts, both in Germany.

He recently took a moment to add science to a longtime question about the original location of the Spring Garden Township mansion, relocated to its current site via teams of mules and greased logs in 19o5. And he answered questions that I posed about the importance of the mansion architecturally and as a site with meaning in the Elmwood area and throughout the county.

He used Sanborn fire insurance maps along with current Google maps and came up with this result about the original location: The Elmwood farmhouse, built by Jacob Brillinger circa 1835, stood about 660 feet south from its current location. Its original site was near the southeast corner of Belmont Street and Second Avenue. That site with its barns and mill – a 1700s farm that predated the mansion – has disappeared under today’s “streets, houses and hospital grounds,” according to Niess.

From architect Robert Niess, whose family owned Elmwood House or Mansion from 1887 until 1957: The Elmwood House was originally located 660 feet south of today’s location, 400 Elmwood Boulevard. The original location of Elmwood house, as built by Jacob Brillinger in circa 1835, was located at roughly today’s Second Avenue and was part of the older farm located at the end of what was called “Featherbed Lane.” He wrote: ‘Featherbed is … S Belmont St. The old farm, as shown here, is from the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from 1894. In this map you can see the two large barns, the old mill and the old farmhouse etc. This 1894 map is overlaid on a Sanborn map from 1908 (after the move of 1905) showing the street layout for the new subdivision, including the new location of the Elmwood house and showing the barns and other building that were destroyed by the two fires. In 1951 the rest of the property of the old farm was sold and the buildings razed and the subdivision expanded.’ (Overall map by Robert Niess. Sanborn base maps provided by Bob Birmingham.)

Elmwood explained

Here are Robert Niess’s responses to my questions about Elmwood.

Q. What is your family’s connection to Elmwood House or Mansion?

A. My mother, Ann Small Niess (1923-2015), was born in York and grew up in the Elmwood House. It was always referred to as the Elmwood House, not mansion. The term mansion came into being with Memorial Hospital’s use.

The Small family is an old York family with roots that run back at least to the time of the American Revolution. The family owned several farms and later a lumber business, and the company Billmeyer & Small also made cars for the railroad.

Elmwood House was built circa 1835, by Jacob Brillinger who bought the old plantation which had been farmed since the 1760s. My great grandfather, John Henry Small, purchased the farm and house from Mr. Brillinger in 1887.

At that time, the big house was still part of a large working farm of 740 acres farmed by a tenant farmer. My mother’s father, J. Edgar Small, was a lawyer in York and grew up partially in Elmwood, and he and my grandmother occupied the house until 1957. After he died the house was too large for my grandmother, and she moved into an apartment downtown. The big house was sold, and many of the wonderful antiques were sold in a spectacular auction. In a sense, this was also the end of an era with a long development of success but also of struggle and change, all closely interwoven with the house.

Thus, Elmwood remained ingrained in our family’s identity, and I and my siblings grew up with many stories about the house and its rich history. Knowing the owners, we visited the house many times, and my mother wrote several pieces about the house including a “real” fiction novel in which the house and its history plays the centerpiece. When the hospital purchased Elmwood, her knowledge was much sought, and she helped out being concerned about the changes that were to be made.

Q. What is the significance of Elmwood to its landscape, neighborhood and York County?

A. York and its core urban organization was originally an agriculturally based city, surrounded by rich and rolling farmland. This tradition is still strong and present. A visit to the York Central Market will open your eyes (and taste buds) to this vibrant cultural heritage.

One of the many stories my mother related of her early childhood were the memories of the farms yearly slaughtering. The tenant farmer would ritually bring the choicest piece of meat to the house as a gift of the land and an honor to the animal and the season. At that time, Elmwood had already been moved, but the working farm still existed two blocks to the south with many farm buildings such as the tenant farmers house, a miller’s house, a large barn, corn and chicken sheds and a creamery. Jeffrey Bortner, who grew up in the miller´s house, did a wonderful sketch of the farm from memory showing the buildings and the farm’s older layout.

As mentioned in 1905, the big house was physically uprooted and moved to its present location. My mother believed it was because of fires to several farm buildings that were believed to be arson. But my sister and I have researched it further and now assume it might also be because of dwindling farm revenue and the need for an alternative income. At this time, the family divided part of the farm into a sub-division with new streets and plots for new homes. Since the house was moved only about 660 feet, it seems that it was not only located farther from the fire hazards of the farm buildings but also the house was placed in a more advantageous location for the land development.

But despite the property development and later the construction of the freeway, the grand old house remains one of the few houses of that era that is still capable of expressing its older relationship to the landscape and its agricultural basis. In a certain sense, the subdivision also tells a tale of hardships and struggle and the transition from a working farm in a changed economy. Through its ability to “speak,” I strongly feel that the house really belongs placed under historic preservation. 

Q. What are your favorite architectural features of Elmwood?

A. When you see the house for the first time it obviously has something stately about it but at the same time conveys an almost iconographic sense of home. The big columns exude calm and stability, and the flowing front porch says “welcome.” This porch embraces the volume of the house, giving it a more intimate scale and its colonnade geometrically frames views of the landscape. It immediately slows you down and provides a noble sense of ease.

I think the stateliness comes not only from the colonnade but more from the intriguing proportion of the massive part of the house with its book-end chimneys. I find these gable chimneys unusual for a northern house, as they seem more typical of a southern antebellum mansion.

Without being noisy or fussy, there is a fascinating multitude of architectural features and spaces that are provided for on the exterior. You sense that people lived more with the outdoors. The entry steps, the long porch but also the big circular end porch are individual spaces that are all part of a whole. On the back side, I miss the old cut out porches that were filled in by the hospital, but I love the bay window and the large shuttered windows in general. The cast iron grating in the attic floor is exquisite, but my favorite part is the porte-cochère on the west end. With its welcoming covering and corners, framed by little bunched columns, it tells of the comings and goings of many visitors.

Inside, the main stair with its carved newel post and the colored leaded glass window on the landing form the centerpiece of the house, but I also love the spacious old kitchen with its secretive back stair.

Q. Is there anything else you think York County residents should know about the Elmwood Mansion?

A. Well I know that the many ghost stories are well known and popular, but they also seem to be truly interwoven into the house´s history. Many people have had “experiences,” and my mother spoke very frankly about “them.” She did not enjoy their presence, but she said that she and the family grew accustomed to their existence and accepted it as a part of living in the house. She felt that they stemmed from some unfortunate event, perhaps during the Civil War, as there were certain “feelings” as to a mode of dress worn by those appearing. One thing that in my mind needs to be researched is the possibility of an involvement with the Underground Railroad. My mother spoke of a concealment “box” her father uncovered in the old farmhouse and hiding places in the attic. The “box” was large enough to contain a person and had been closed up for years. When my grandfather opened it up, he found nothing more than a lovely and decorative but unfortunately empty tin box. He felt that it had been used as a safe spot to hide runaway slaves, and there were the family rumors of the wealthy bachelor, Jacob Brillinger who owned the house at that time and was an avid abolitionist.

I sincerely wish that the old house, with its new owners, can be treated and maintained inside and out as the historic monument it is.

The building and its site has a lot to tell and is clearly part of the identity of what makes York, York. The idea of a historic monument is, however, not only about preserving the authenticity of the past but allowing it to continue to address the present.

Both women spent years overseas in missionary work.

And the accomplishments of both women with York County ties were highlighted in 2020, the 100th anniversary year of women casting their first votes in a national election.

Ford taught French for years in York city schools in the 20th century and then in retirement ministered in Liberia by teaching English and undertaking Christian missionary work. Her work was highlighted via a 2020 digital site developed by Central York High School’s Anna Lumsargis as part of her Gold Scout project.

In the 19th-century, Amanda Berry Smith served as a Christian missionary on several continents before operating an orphanage in Chicago late in life. Her accomplishments have been highlighted in recent years as research in the Underground Railroad has gained depth in York County since 2000.

In 2020, women have been feted and a host of women have written about women and other topics.

To help gather  these stories, we have done two things:

• Developed a York Town Square Women’s History page.
• Targeted 2020 accomplishments in this story on the Witnessing York digital site. This site, just launched in October, tells the stories of numerous women: 1800s activist Frances “Fanny” Wright, suffragist Anna Dill Gamble and others. More will be added.

What Ford’s daughter, Diane Scott, said about her mother applies to many women featured in the anniversary year of 2020: “She affected the world by the (missionary) work she did in Liberia. Locally, she was a role model for many people, especially the children she taught. Everyone looked up to her.”

These speakers will present about history topics at community groups in the region.

Sandra Kearse-Stockton: This York native and retired Army lieutenant colonel talks about her three-volume memoir of growing up in York and career in the military, among other lifetime experiences. She and her husband fostered more than 100 children, and she’s written a book on those experiences. Contact: slkearsestockton27@gmail.com.

Tom Davidson: The historic Lincoln Highway (Route 462 and Route 30), in York County and across Pennsylvania. This includes buildings and other landmarks along the route, including the Haines Shoe House in Hellam Township. Contact: Tom.Davidson2642@comcast.net.

Sterling Fritz: Genealogical research, Southern York County family research and community history, local church history. Contact: revfritz@gmail.com

Thomas Steele and Tristan Mundis: Red Lion-area history topics. Tom Steele also presents about bottle collecting. bottle collecting. Contact: Tristan Mundis: Ludwigdrums10@gmail.com and Thomas Steele: bigt0722@comcast.net,

Don Robinson: Topics from Delta/Peach Bottom Township, including Welsh immigrants and slate quarrying. Contact: Sprintnut2@gmail.com.

Steve Nicholas: York industrialist S. Morgan Smith. Contact: Saintnic1967@gmail.com.

Stephen H. Smith: Topics from his YorksPast blog. Contact: Stephen.smith4@comcast.net.

June Lloyd: Select from 10 programs covering various aspects of York County history. Contact: Ycpa89@msn.com.

Chris Hertig: Terrorism in the U.S., law enforcement history, history of security, police history, Underground Railroad slave hunters and enslavers. Contact: chrisahertig@yahoo.com.

Ted Sickler: Topics: York families since the 1950s and “The Conspiracy of 1803.” Contact: tsickler@lnpnews.com.

Scott Mingus: Civil War, Underground Railroad, regional railroad topics, Lincoln funeral train, history of papermaking in York County. Contact: scottmingus@yahoo.com.

Ron Hershner: Themes from his book: ‘Letters From Home: York County, Pennsylvania, during the Civil War.’ Also: Leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Contact: rhershner@stockandleader.com.

Jim McClure: Hex Murder, World War II/York Plan, Civil War topics, Presidential visits, Women in York County history, York County Black history, York County Latino history, American Revolution era.  Contact: jimmcclure21@outlook.com.

Jeffrey Kirkland: Black history/Black experience in York. Contact: iced1@comcast.net.

J. Ross McGinnis: Hex Murder and Hex Murder Trials. Contact: jrmcginnis@stockandleader.com.

Charles Stambaugh: Northeastern York County History In Preservation speaks on topics about the Mount Wolf, Manchester and York Haven region: neychip@gmail.com.

Bart Stump: Educator speaks about the Susquehanna River petroglyphs (Indian rock carvings), Continental Currency during the American Revolution and other topics: hawke3@comcast.net.

Donna Peace: Speaks on New Freedom and region: Summit Grove Campground, abolitionist Amanda Berry Smith, Rock Chapel Cemetery & more: donnapeace8@gmail.com

Ken Weiler: Published author speaks on various World War II topics as well as about history areas: kweiler1@comcast.net 

Friends of Lebanon Cemetery: This group provides speakers on the restoration of this historically Black cemetery in North York: Info@friendsoflebanoncemetery.com

Dominish Marie Miller: Hometown History: Jamie and Domi’s YoCo Backstory (with Jamie Kinsley), Northern York County history, Civil War, Woman in the Civil War: dominishmiller@gmail.com.

Jamie Noerpel: Hometown History: Jamie and Domi’s YoCo Backstory (with Domi Miller), York County agricultural/farming history, Pa. Dutch food culture, Golden Venture, home remedies, Appalachian Trail thru-hiker Earl Shaffer: jamietyson2442@gmail.com

Jeri Jones: Geology and fossils of York County and the region and other topics that include dinosaurs, caves, earthquakes, rocks and quarries: jonesgeo@comcast.net.

OLLI at Penn State York: Presenters will tell how this organization offers community members — age 50 years and older — educational, social, travel, and volunteer experiences with the goal of enhancing and enriching their lives: OLLI at Penn State York (psu.edu)

Mike Maloney: The history of the Accomac ferry crossing and 1881 murder, and Thomas Cresap – Pennsylvania villain and Maryland hero. michaelmaloneybooks@gmail.com.

Norina Bentzel:  This retired principal writes about the machete attack that took place at North Hopewell-Winterstown Elementary School in 2001 and the healing process in its aftermath. She was severely injured in protecting students against the assailant. norinabentzelspeaks@gmail.com

The soldier and musician was holding the reins of Union commanding Gen. U.S. Grant’s horse. And it stepped on his foot.

Years later, Hector’s and Grant’s paths crossed, and Hector, now a internationally known pastor and lecturer, reminded the general of the incident. Grant reciprocated by signing an autographed book.

Such was the arc of Hector’s life – from a soldier tending to a general’s horse, to a speaker on the Prohibition and Grand Army of the Republic circuit who was in much demand in the U.S., Canada and Britain.

Noted historian, writer, appraiser and collector Philip J. Merrill has been on Hector’s trail for about 15 years. Hector is an example, he says, of an accomplished black man with an international reputation who hasn’t been extensively studied. Merrill wants to tell his story.

That trail led him to York last Sunday – a town in which Hector lived for many years.

So Lebanon Cemetery, where Hector was buried, and the 116 E. King Street home where he lived for many years were among Merrill’s stops in York.

At the door of 116 E. King Street, he and an assistant, equipped with a video camera, were enacting a time machine scene, and he knocked on the door, not expecting anyone in the business, The Parliament arts organization, to be there.

But someone opened the door, invited them in and gave a tour of the art gallery.

When they returned, a blue three-ring notebook containing six original photos of Hector was missing.

Hector spoke to international fans

Merrill is interested in Hector on many levels.

That a Black man born in Canada with likely little education could rise to such prominence speaks to Hector’s talents and oratorial skills.

Further, temperance advocates of the 1800s are well known today – Carrie Nation and Frances Willard, for example. But Blacks in America also were prominent in their concerns over alcohol abuse – a movement that led to the 19th Amendment and Prohibition of the making and sale of alcoholic beverages in America.

Abolitionists Frederick Douglass, Martin Delaney and Florence Watkins Harper (who in the 1850s also lived in York) were among the Black temperance proponents speaking nationally. And Hector was among them.

Merrill is also interested in Hector’s national work with the Grand Army of the Republic, the most prominent fraternal organization of post-Civil War veterans.

As for the GAR, Hector practiced what he preached.

York County historian Stephen H. Smith’s research shows that Hector was the commander of the David E. Small GAR post, a group of Black veterans in York County in 1883. This GAR post had a counterpart post of white veterans in York, the Gen. John Sedgwick post. The posts, among the 13 in the county, would march in Memorial Day parades, stepping together for some distance. The Sedgwick group would separate at Prospect Hill Cemetery, and the Black GAR post members would march to the historically Black Lebanon Cemetery.

Another of Hector’s national tours, Smith says, was to raise money for Harper Ferry raider John Brown’s family. The family had sustained setbacks, and Hector joined Brown’s son, Jason, on the lecture circuit to help out the family.

In fact, the tour with Brown kicked off in York in 1891.

This illustrates Hector’s long relationship with his adopted city of York.

In 1883 and 1884, Hector was pastor of York’s A.M.E. Zion Church at 148 E. King St. He left for short pastorates in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

But until his death in 1914, York appears to be the base of Hector’s lecture and evangelistic tours until the end of his life. He would often speak on the circuit about his Civil War experiences, although it’s not known if he included the incident involving U.S. Grant’s horse in his talks. But he left it as part of his legacy by including it in his obituary.

He remained active in his later years. For example, he and his daughter Geraldine, a singer, had accompanied the  Hector to a lecture in 1912, at First Methodist Episcopal Church in Lead, South Dakota.

Following John Hector’s footsteps

At 116 E. King St. on Sunday, Philip Merrill saw the place where Hector and his wife, Eliza, lived for many years. Hector died there at the age of 69 in 1914.

They were elated at this unplanned moment.

“Just to be in the footsteps of this man had us in a cloud,” Merrill said.

Then they returned to their vehicle parked out front. Valuable electronic equipment had been left untouched. But the photo album was gone. Merrill heads Nanny Jack & Company, which has housed 30,000 artifacts that illuminate the Black experience, so he knew the high value of these irreplaceable originals.

Merrill turned to York County’s historical community for help, and before long, a plea for the blue notebook’s return, with reward, was all over social media in York County.

City leaders became involved. A member of The Parliament canvassed the area. A local business offered video from their security camera.

Merrill hopes that good can come from the missing photographs.

For example, he hopes the incident sheds light on the restoration efforts of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, who met him there and have join in the call for the missing photographs. He appreciates how the Friends group is telling about the achievements of people of color from the past.

Merrill places the Rev. Hector among that group who we should learn more about.

“He’s a prime example,” he said, “of an ordinary person who accomplished extraordinary things.”

Upcoming presentations

I will speak on the topic of “Fascinating things about Northeastern York County” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19, via Zoom. It is a free digital presentation sponsored by North Eastern York County History in Preservation, ALLVETS of York and Red Land Community Library. Register here: http://www.neychip.com.

The tornado targeted the Casper Glattfelder Association of America’s pavilion at Heimwald Park near Glatfelter Station. The York Daily Record reported the high winds “lifted up” the pavilion and dropped it “into destruction.”

The report no doubt was true because the pavilion, scene of the Glattfelder family’s annual reunion for decades, was not moored to the ground.

In 1934, the rotten part of the pavilion’s support had been removed and the entire open-air structure just rested on the cement floor.

Family has met since 1906

Fortunately, the descendants of Casper Glattfelder are better grounded in their ancestor’s home county, and the replacement pavilion on the Springfield Township grounds is, too.

Since 1906, the Association has been meeting around and on the original creek lands settled by the Swiss-born Casper after he arrived in America in 1743, six years before York County was birthed.

In these days of pandemic, the annual reunion met again last weekend, albeit in diminished, socially distanced numbers.

They followed the format of the usual late-July annual gathering with a board of directors meeting drawing on tradition. They opened by singing all six verses of “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” and closed by standing and singing the “Reunion Hymn.”

In that closing hymn, those assembled in the pavilion also sang the chorus with every stanza — no shortcuts.

One year, a reunion member observed, the reunion varied from these practices — sitting or skipping choruses — and “he heard about that” from an aged family member.

Some board members listened in by phone and voted by voice on the many items on the packed, two-page agenda.

As is customary, they recognized the oldest family member (Dean Gladfelter, 84) and those “traveling the farthest” (Sarah Melcher, Connecticut) and Pamela Tuscany (Florida by teleconference).

You could tell that these practices or liturgies at these rites of July — or September in 2020 — have played a role in keeping this venerable, sprawling family in contact.

Indeed, this gathering during COVID-19 marked the 115th meeting of the group and the 75th consecutive gathering.

It’s not clear that a large gathering of the family met every year in World War II, but did so in 1918, just before the Spanish flu severely ravaged the county.

They came by train

The original Glattfelder family reunion gathered at Springfield Township’s Bupp’s Union Church in 1906 and later met in woods around the family’s first homestead near Glatfelter Station.

In 1913, the association purchased its current 2-acre meeting ground, on the hill above today’s Glatfelter Station rail trail parking area.

Glattfelder descendants often would travel to the reunion each year via the Northern Central Railroad, departing and boarding the train at Glatfelter Station and walking the short distance to the reunion grounds. Wooden steps, long gone, led from the road to the reunion area.

The land overlooks what was originally Casper Glattfelder’s homestead, west of the Codorus Creek.  The early 1800s home of Felix, Casper’s son, is the old house visible to rail trail users just across the truss bridge along the trail in Glatfelter Station.

Today, the pavilion has another anchor, of a kind. Two sides are framed by a 5,000-brick patio.

The names of about 1,300 family members are inscribed in the bricks arranged under the names of Casper’s five sons and reaching 11 generations deep.

A cloud of family witnesses, thus, keep watch on the pavilion and reunion grounds on this hillside overlooking the family’s early acreage.

They’re there to watch for tornadoes of the bad weather kind, to be sure, but also perhaps to protect against the forces of culture that are so hard on families.

Those witnesses heard 115th anniversary reunion members sing — or perhaps they joined in — the first stanza of the opening hymn with the appropriate reference to storms of all kinds:

“O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home.”

Sources: Interviews with family members; “The Casper Glattfelder Association of America, The First Hundred Years, 1906-2005” booklet.

Here is an assortment of photos from the New Freedom stretch of the 20 miles between the Maryland Line and the city of York.

This Little Library near the trail has two departments – for adults and children.

More

Check out this 25-picture gallery of scenes in and around New Freedom

These presentations have been recorded, so if you want to see what I have to say on a range of local and regional history topics, please check out:

• York Rotary: “Look what we’ve been through: York County’s resiliency in times of adversity.” I start at about the 7 minute mark.
• Codorus Murders podcast: York race riots and trials.
•  York County Bar Association Law Day: Remarks about the Justice Bell of 1915 after I received the Liberty Bell Award. The Liberty Bell part starts at about the 11:45 mark.
• Joe Live: I present about “York County’s resiliency in times of adversity,” and then answer audience questions. I go on at about the 33- minute mark.
•  York Civil War Roundtable: “The Civil War’s impact on York County’s civilian population.” I start at about the 7 minute mark.
• York County History Center: “Achieving women from York County, past and present.” Start at the 4 minute mark.
• Joe Live: I present about “The Best in York, Pa. Neighborhood Awards,” a combination of serious and fun stories about parks, neighborhoods and other landmarks in and around York.
• NEYCHIP/Red Land Library: “Fascinating things about Northeastern York County,” a survey of towns throughout that region of  York County.
• An animated, literally, Jim McClure gives this brief overview of York County’s story in “Get Pulled into History.”
• York County History Center: The Colonial era is a big deal in York County, Pa. Why is that?  (Overview of American Revolution at 8 minute mark; discussion on Article of Confederation, 18 minutes; First Capital claim, 53 minutes; ending and questions 1:12.
• Spring Grove Historical Preservation Society: Just look what we’ve been through: York County resilience in adversity.”
• History Night, 2017: Weird York: Weird, curious and quaint historic York County stories (ydr.com)

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