In 1852, J. Thomas Williams published a “View of York, PA” – a bird’s eye view that provides great insight into the York of the mid-19th century. The map includes close-up drawings of many local buildings and scenes – York County Court House, Hey’s Institute, Odd Fellows Hall, Centre Square, and many others. The overview “View from the Harrisburg Road,” pictured below, shows the York skyline. It also gives us a great depiction of what York looked liked during the Civil War.
When the Second Continental Congress arrived in York in 1777, they found a sleepy frontier town where most people spoke German. But in 1863, the Confederate Army found a growing, vibrant community with an important agricultural and industrial base.
This view was created from the vicinity of present day Prospect Hill Cemetery on North George Street. In the foreground is the Harrisburg Road and Codorus Creek. Several barges are depicted on the creek being pulled by horse teams. Just above the barges is the York Railroad Station as it looked in 1852. Confederate General Jubal Early threatened to burn this building during the Confederate occupation.
Several steeples pierce the sky, the largest of which is the Christ Lutheran Church steeple in the center of the graphic. The church was built in 1812. In front of the steeple is the Hartman Building, which was constructed by merchant John Hartman in 1849. The building still stands; however, four stories were removed in the mid-20th century and the façade was clad in siding. We know the building today as the Futer Bros. Building.
To the left the most prominent building is the York County Court House. This courthouse was constructed in 1841 to replace the Colonial-era courthouse that stood in Centre Square. To the right of the Hartman Building is a building viewed from the side. Known originally as the Odd Fellows Hall, today the 1850 building still stands and is called Washington Hall.
To the right of Odd Fellows Hall there is a cluster of three steeples. The first one, which is all white, is most likely that of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, followed by the First English Lutheran Church and German Reformed Church, the tallest of the group. First English Lutheran was located at the intersection of Beaver and King streets and later became known as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. The First German Reformed Church, located on West Market Street, eventually split into two congregations – known today as Trinity UCC and Heidelberg UCC.
And to the far right of the skyline, framed by a tree in the foreground, is a white cupola belonging to the Moravian Church, which was located at the intersection of Princess and Water (Pershing) streets.
Also take note of the three white buildings to the west (right) of George Street and south of the Codorus Creek – a train is depicted passing in front of them. These buildings were the Variety Iron Works or Smyser-Royer Foundry. The center building still stands and is part of the Northwest Triangle redevelopment initiative.