B2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. May 26,1984
4
;nestoga wagon . .is are admired by Shirley Hess. As a travi courtesy, wagon
operators gave their bells to good Samaritans who lent a hand if problems occurred
during their journey, ideally, a wagon arrived with no mishaps, or “with bells on.”
BY JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
YORK York Farmers
Association women got a history
lesson last Tuesday as their annual
ladies’ day out focused on the rich
heritage of the city and county.
Following a morning quiz
program on the settlement of the
area, and a luncheon at the host
Yorktowne Hotel, the day “out”
became just that, with a walking
tour of several nationally-known
downtown historic sites.
An initial stop at the York
Historical Society’s museum and
headquarters on East Market
street offered an in-depth look at
the background of the White Rose
city, and the surrounding far
mlands, that were settled largely
by European immigrants.
Excellent displays at the
museum begin with archeological
artifacts of the Indians who lived
here as early as 20,000 B.C. and
progress through the 19th century.
Items and interesting facts reflect
early architecture, religion,
clothing, occupations, military, art
and implements of daily living, in
visual, detailed displays.
The museum’s important
transportation section features an
original Conestoga wagon, the
“tractor trailer” of pioneer days,
and several early automobiles
including a 1906 Pullman
manufactured in York.
A life-size street of shops
recreates the lifestyle of early
York. Visitors can step into
commercial establishments of the
period, such as apothecary,
cabinet maker, and toy shops.
An early settler’s cabin, a
restored structure originally from
the Stewartstown area, depicts the
cramped living quarters that
housed pioneering families.
Three blocks west on Market
Street is one of the country’s few
remaining, and extremely rare,
examples of German medieval
half-timber construction.
Originally built in 1741 by Martin
Eichelberger, the Plough Tavern
offered shelter and food to
travelers plying the Monocacy
Road, sole highway west toward
Pittsburgh outposts, and today
better known as Route 30, or the
Lincoln Highway. Frequented by
Conestoga wagon drivers, who
brought freight, news and gossip
from the more populous eastern
Philadelphia area, the tavern was
also a gathering spot for locals to
keep abreast of national hap
penings.
Every item used to furnish the
Plough Tavern has been
documented to 1760 or earlier,
authentically recreating a
traveler’s haven of the period.
When Eichelberger was unable
to keep up with his property
payments on the tavern, it
reverted to the estate of the
Penn’s, and was later sold to
Joseph Chambers.
Chambers, a “well-to-do”
onestoga Wagon Bells
Englishman, built his home
directly adjoining the tavern.
Better known today as the “Gates
House,” Chambers’ home was
constructed in the English
Georgian style, and furnished
primarily with Chippendale
pieces.
An elegant home for its time, the
structure boasts a fireplace in
every room, high ceilings and tall
windows, lending to light and open
feeling to the interior.
In 1778, General Horatio Gates,
who led the defeat of the British at
Saratoga, arrived in York, where
the Continental Congress had fled
across the Susquehanna for safety.
Gates’ wife, aiming to rent
York’s most elegant home for their
stay, moved into the Chambers’
home. A plot to oust General
George Washington was squelched
during a dinner party in the house,
while visiting Frenchman Marquis
de Lafayette toasted his country’s
support to the leader of the troops
shivering at Valley Forge.
At the opposite end of the Gates
York Farmers Association women leam abou
jarlie Klinger admires the York Historical Society's suction pump fire engine,
built in 1853 for the Goodwill Fire Company #5.
The more you expect from
your milk reed money the more
you’re our kind of dairyman.
Whatever your plans are today
to produce more, less or about
the same amount of milk as last
year - one thing’s for sure. You
want the most possible income
from the dollars you spend
for feed.
And the key is choosing a milk
ing ration that best balances any
roughages and grain you may
have; that fits your kind of cows
and that will produce the
amount of milk you expect. A
House - Plough Tavern courtyard
area is the Bobb log house. Built in
1814, the log house was moved
across town to its present site in
the early 1960’s and is represen
tative of the most common type of
family living structure in York
during the 1800’s.
Notable furnishings of the log
house are several pieces of painted
furniture and examples of fraktur,
the hand-decorated birth, death
and marriage certificates highly
valued by collectors. Quilts,
spinning equipment and period
household items further depict log
house life in the 1800’s.
Speakers who took part in the
morning program of the ladies day
out included Charles Klinger of the
PFA staff and York Farmers
Association’s president Ellis
Growl.
Klinger urged the farm wives to
Suction
feed that will do all this most
efficiently.
More and more dairymen, in
cluding some of the best in the
business (like those featured
here), find the answer at their
Purina Dealer. Purina offers over
200 different milking rations to
make sure there’s one that will fit
your herd. And 63 separate mill
locations assure the feeds needed
for your area are available.
Ask your Purina Dealer to help
you select the best ration for
your needs.
stay knowledgeable of the 1985
Farm Bill as it begins to evolv
and to lend their support whe
needed. With numerous non-fan
groups interested in helping writ
this far-reaching legislation, he
stressed the importance of farm
organizations, having imput into
the final writing of the bill.
County president Growl also
spoke briefly to state legislation.
He noted a recent proposal to levy
an assessment on every ton of feed
sold through dealers, to finance
improved state research facilities
for animal health problems.
Crowl suggested that farm
families consider equitable ways
for farmers who grow the bulk of
their own feed to contribute tot his
research fund on a similar level as
would farmers who purchase all
their feed products.
fire 6
me
DHI rolling herd
averages in the
top 5% earned them
Distinguished
Dairyman of
America Awards.*
A third generation dairyman,
David Roth of Loysvillle, Penn
sylvania, uses the total Purina dairy
ration program from nursing,
starting and growing feeds through
High Octane® Cow Chow® brand
36% concentrate. His DHI rolling