York Springs, Pennsylvania

History

York Springs was originally platted as Petersburg within Latimore Township. York Sulphur Springs, the first summer resort in Adams County, was patronized by persons from Philadelphia and Baltimore who came to the resort by stage coach.

The resort was built on a tract of land owned by the Wiermans. When first settlements were made, the original building conformed to the plan of too many of the older taverns and housed only fifty guests. The later building was erected partly on the old foundation about 1790. A cross wing or section in the rear made a perfect T formation. A colonnade extended along both sides of the main building, forming delightful balconies. The hotel was beautiful, most attractive and symmetrical. The lawns, walks, rustic bridges and arbors were kept in perfect condition. Not only the lawns but the nearby woods were swept with brooms.

Arnold Gardner and Charles Kettlewell first leased and later bought York Sulphur Springs from the heirs of Robert Oliver, and it was during their nine years of ownership that the place reached the height of its popularity. 150 guests could be accommodated, but at times the hotel was so crowded that rooms had to be secured at nearby farm houses for guests.

From records of the Hamilton and Dill families, we find that General George Washington and his wife Martha did spend some time at the Springs during the summer of 1799 when John Hamilton was proprietor of the place. This was the last summer of the old General's life as he died the following winter. In 1858, the hotel was referred to as York Springs House.

Bowling, croquet playing, dancing, and drinking from the famous spring were the amusements for the guests. The water was very unpalatable but highly medicinal in value. An analysis showed that it contained 20 parts Epsom salts, 6 parts gypsum, 4 parts common salt, and the balance sulphur. This sulphur vein extends as far as Wierman's Mill and is especially noticeable in very warm weather.

The first balloon ascension in Adams County was made from York Sulphur Springs for the entertainment of its many guests.

The main building survived the others for some years but was finally destroyed by fire January 8, 1896. Donald Miller's stone bungalow is built on the exact site of the old hotel so famous nearly two hundred years ago. After railroads were built, the Springs' popularity decreased rapidly, and finally the numerous buildings that made up the site fell into decay and gradually disappeared.

Although the information for York Sulphur Springs exists within what is considered the boundaries of York Springs, the existing information now encompasses Latimore Township. In the last decade there has been a large increase in the Hispanic population, with workers from Mexico coming to the area to work in the local apple orchards.

York Springs' previous names were York Sulphur Springs and Petersburg. To completely end confusion with Littlestown, when Petersburg became a borough in 1868 it was named York Sulphur Springs, later shortened to York Springs.

Local government

Borough Council:
Eloise Swales, President
Dale Pifer, Vice President
Catherine Jonet, Secretary
Bob Megonnell
Gary Smith Roy "Ike" Williams, Jr.

Building Permit/Zoning Officer
Wayne Wolf

Engineer
William F. Hill & Associates

Mayor
Jeff Shull

Municipal Authority
Roy Williams, Jr., Chairman
Melissa Smith, Secretary
Gerald McCauslin
Dale Pifer
Michael Tipler

Planning Commission
Vacancy, Chairman
James Landis, Vice Chairman
Wayne Staley, Secretary
Richard Batley
Dennis Petrick

Sewage Enforcement Officer
James T. Lehman

Water & Sewer Authority
York Springs Municipal Authority
Roy Williams, Jr, Chairman

Solicitor
Borough
Stanley Laskowski

Municipal Authority
P. Daniel Altland

Tax Collector
Donna Kapper

Geography

York Springs is located at 40°0′25″N 77°6′51″W (40.006865, -77.114066). Main Street in the borough is Pennsylvania Route 94, which runs north to Mount Holly Springs and south to Hanover. U.S. Route 15 passes just to the southeast of the borough.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.23 square miles (0.6 km²), all of it land.

The United States Postal ZIP code is 17372. The local telephone exchange prefix is 528.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 574 people, 186 households, and 129 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,836.0 people per square mile (1,108.1/km²). There were 213 housing units at an average density of 1,052.4 per square mile (411.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.77% White, 0.35% African American, 1.22% Asian, 3.31% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.56% of the population.

There were 186 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.42.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $41,071. Males had a median income of $28,173 versus $24,583 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,379. About 9.5% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.