York, also known as Yorktown in the mid 18th to early 19th centuries, was founded in 1741 by settlers from the Philadelphia region and named for the English city of the same name. By 1777, most of the area residents were of either German or Scots-Irish descent. York was incorporated as a borough on September 24, 1787, and as a city on January 11, 1887.

York served as the temporary capital of the Continental Congress from September 30, 1777, to June 27, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Congress drafted and adopted the Articles of Confederation in York, though they were not ratified until March 1781. Congress met at the Court House (built 1754, demolished 1841, and rebuilt 1976 as Colonial Court House). York styles itself the first Capital of the United States, although historians generally consider it to be the fourth capital, after Philadelphia, Baltimore and (for one day) Lancaster. The claim arises from the assertion that the Articles of Confederation was the first legal document to refer to the colonies as “the United States of America”. The argument depends on whether the Declaration of Independence, which also uses the term, would be considered a true legal document of the United States, being drafted under and in opposition to British rule.

During the American Civil War (1861–1865),  York became the largest Northern town to be occupied by the Confederate army when the division of Major General Jubal Anderson Early spent June 28–30, 1863, in and around the town while the brigade of John B. Gordon marched to the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville and back. Early laid York under tribute and collected food, supplies, clothing, shoes, and $28,000 in cash from citizens and merchants before departing westward obeying the revised orders of Robert E. Lee. The sprawling York U.S. Army Hospital on Penn Commons served thousands of Union soldiers wounded at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg.

In the Postbellum era (1865–1877), York remained a regional center for local agriculture, but increasingly became an important industrial center, with such industries as steam engines, railroad manufacturing, and papermaking coming to the forefront. York also features some unique architecture ranging from colonial era buildings to large gothic churches. The city has been called an “architectural museum,” because the downtown features numerous well-preserved historic structures.

After many years of attempting to secure funding for a stadium and a baseball team to play in it, the first decade of the century saw York realize both goals. In 2007, Santander Stadium, home of the York Revolution, opened in the Arch Street neighborhood.  The stadium, along with other large projects, symbolizes York’s extensive redevelopment efforts.

Source: Wikipedia (Extract)

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Photos on this page are for York and surrounding area including Harrisburg, Lancaster and Intercourse Village (Amish Country).

Additional associated photo galleries are as follows:

Photos for The York Revolution Baseball Ground are published here:

The York Revolution

Photos for Gettysburg National Military Park are published in the Antiquities / Battlefields Section here:

Gettysburg National Military Park

Photos for the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg are published in the Historic Houses / Landmarks Section here:

Pennsylvania State Capitol

Photos for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania aare published in the Antiquities / Museums Section here:

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Photos for the Harley-Davidson Operations Assembly Plant (York) tour are published here:

Harley-Davidson Operations

Covered bridge

Guess what this is for?  ….

Tethering horses on a traditional Amish buggy

Bethel AME Church Cultural Center, Lancaster, PA

Harrisburg, PA was chartered on March 19, 1860.  This date is used because this city is home to Tanner’s Alley, a section of the Harrisburg that played a part the abolition movement during American slavery.

Settled around 1719 the city was a stop on the Underground Railroad where runaway slaves were fed and clothed on their way to Canada. Harrisburg is less than an hour from the Mason Dixon Line and was home to 900 free Blacks by 1850 (12% of the city’s population). Much of this population lived in a 500 foot stretch of road nicknamed Tanner’s Alley.

This neighborhood was home to some of the poorest residents in the city.  High skilled professionals were seldom found here while unskilled service workers were common.  While facing the hardships of racism and poverty, this neighborhood was home to a Black Masonic Hall as well as Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church, Harrisburg’s first Black church founded in 1816. Many slaves were hidden in Tanner’s Alley by notable Underground Railroad conductor Joseph Bustill and Dr. William “Pap” Jones, a well-known doctor and merchant that lived a block from Bustill.

Today, Tanner’s Alley lies between Walnut Street and South Street while Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church still has its doors open.

National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg

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