Because there is a “York Furnace” community in York County, I mistakenly assumed that this postcard photograph represented that place.
I learned, from York County historians, that York Furnace was also the name of a park, across the Susquehanna River, in Lancaster County. The York Furnace Trolley Park was constructed at the end of the trolley line to Pequea.
Thus, this postcard represents a trolley park in Lancaster County.
A hand-colored photograph of the York Furnace Park was printed on a postcard sent by Ella from Myersdale, PA.
Myersdale is borough on the Casselman River, about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Although settled in colonial times, the town grew with the coming of the railroad in 1871. It was a center of coal-mining through the first half of the 20 th century. In 1915, it was almost twice as large as the borough is today.
The postcard message was dated, February 22, 1915, but mailed on February 26, 1915 to Mrs. John H. Shenk of Manheim, PA.
The writer, Ella, tells Mrs. Shenk that the sap is running, the maple syrup is coming in, and that she is sending some maple sugar to her.
The pleasant photograph was published by I. Steinfeldt, a prolific postcard publisher of Lancaster, PA.
