Servicemen, spouses and volunteers pose at York County's Pennsylvania Dutch Canteen in June 1945. Notice that on the wall at right a drawing is posted of the placement of the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima in February 1945, suggesting the famous photograph was already an American icon. George Bixler, a Marine sergeant observed the flag after it was raised after the important World War II fighting. '(I)t was like a ballgame, everyone hollering all over the place. I could just see that baby waving," Bixler, a Hanover resident, said years later. The canteen was located in the still-standing York County Academy gymnasium. The academy building on North Beaver Street, which no longer stands, served as USO headquarters. The canteen was located to the rear of the academy building. Some of the Pennsylvania Dutch drawings on the wall are visible today in the privately owned building. Also of interest: Old gym bears signs of USO past and USO column attracts WW II-era memories and Just try to resist this memory-tugging photograph of northwest York, Pa.

The USO in York County attracted young women by the thousands.

These were volunteers, no doubt lonely themselves with many eligible men off fighting in World War II. But they provided comfort to many a guy in uniform at the North Beaver Street USO buildings, nonetheless... .

The USO, United Services Organization, in the York (Pa.) area was headquartered in the now-demolished York County Academy building. The USO's dance hall and eatery, the Pennsylvania Dutch canteen, operated out of its gymnasium during World War II. The old gym still stands in the northeast corner of its former lot, now a North Beaver Street parking lot. This photograph came from the "Art Work of York," W.H. Parish Publishing Co., 1893. Also of interest: Old gym bears signs of USO past and USO column attracts WW II-era memories and Yorkblog.com leads to reverse publishing.

A photograph of the old York County Academy, part of a rare "Art Work of York" collection, reminded me of the World War II-vintage USO that operated out of there.

I adapted a section from my "In the Thick of the Fight" to tell about how things worked in those days when York swarmed with men in uniform, defense contractors, women in coveralls and other war related activity:

This is a rare photograph of West Manchester Township (Pa.)'s Highland Park before the turn of the 20th century. This would have been in the early years of electrified trolley service in York County, and the park was built to enhance weekend and off-peak ridership. Highland grew into a large amusement park, attracting people from Baltimore and throughout the region. A quarry now operates on the old park site. This photograph came from a rare 12-part collection: "Art Work of York," W.H. Parish Publishing Co., 1893. Also of interest: Carrie Nation in York, Pa.: 'I told them that they were maintaining a drunken men's club' and Smoketown a popular York County name a century ago and Growing off-peak trolley ridership in York County: Build a park.

A mixed bag of neat stuff ... .

Steven Valinski has been back in York County Court system facing driving under the influence charges. That comes after he served a 20-year state prison sentence for the gruesome bondage-suffocation murder of a 39-year-old York woman in 1988.

Valinksi had cut off body parts and had sliced open her abdomen after her death... .

An air raid siren found atop of the Yorktowne Hotel is shown on display at the Agricultural and Industrial Museum in York. The museum is housed in the George F. Motter & Sons complex. (See additional photo below.) Also of interest: When a Pullman automobile became a seesaw and On Second Saturdays: 'It's really cool that the Heritage Trust started this program' and World War II-era air raid siren discovered atop Yorktowne Hotel.

An informed member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute class that I'm teaching passionately told others about York industrialist's John C. Motter's insistence on precision in the printing press equipment he made.

Other machining companies talked about allowable tolerances, but Motter insisted on being right on the mark.

That discussion reminded me that I've never sorted out the various Motters so clearly linked with printing press manufacturing in York County.

Fortunately, the York County Heritage Trust's Spring 2010 newsletter laid it out:

The Springdale mansion was another casualty of the 1960s era in which many wonderful York County, Pa., architecture sites came down. Springdale, actually, was one of the first, demolished the 1950s. Today, its carriage house stands, and its footprint is covered by the Universalist Unitarian congregation. This photograph came from a rare 12-part collection: "Art Work of York," W.H. Parish Publishing Co., 1893. Also of interest: About Davy Crockett at Springdale in York: 'He is the biggest fool I ever saw' and Exploring ornate Springdale, sunken ballroom and all and Bucolic Outdoor Country Club started in busy York neighborhood.

A mixed bag of neat stuff ... .

The recent discovery of a capsule filled with 100-year-old mementos in a Codo property under renovation in York drew a memory from a York resident.

She remembers the burial of a time capsule in her time at Smith Middle School in the nation's bicentennial year, 1976... .

This U.S. postage stamp, issued in 2005, shows famed singer Marian Anderson. Ceremonies observing the stamp's issue were held at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. In 1939, the contralto was denied the opportunity to perform there because she was black. She then sang before thousands at the Lincoln Memorial. Two years later, she performed in York. Also of interest: When York County rolled up its red carpet to people of color and What did Tiny Tim and Richard Nixon have in common? and York's 221 E. Princess St. home to telling ironies.

Still on the theme that there are York County tie-ins to most anything that is in the news - or has been part of America's past.

Here is more on that topic gleaned from a recent York concert honoring famed singer Marian Anderson. It's a column set to run the York Sunday News on Sunday (3/7/10):

'The Waterfront,' along the Susquehanna River, at York County's (Pa.) Camp Minqua in 1940. Dan Meckley published this scene in his 2008 memoir. "The waterfront was the major attraction of the camp," he wrote. "Each year the walkway sections were stored at the end of the camp to save them from ice. The next spring the staff cut trees for pilings with crosscut saws, and drive them in place with 10# sledgehammers." The YMCA camp operated in southeastern York County from the 1920s through the 1960s. Meckley's memoir and a recently printed sequel are available for reference use in the York County Heritage Trust archives. Also of interest: About York's Farquhar pool's water: 'He would demonstrate the safeness by drinking a cup' and Rambo run: One small stream ... so much stress and What is the probability of another flood in York?.

Mention Camp Minqua around former campers at the YMCA summer retreat, and you'll get a portfolio of rapid-fire memories.

And no one has fonder memories than Dan Meckley, who grew up to be a community leader in York.

He devoted a large, photograph-filled section of his 2008 memoir to the long-closed southeastern York County camp.

And in his recently printed sequel, "Our Pictorial Journey," the camp again is profiled.

Here is Dan's description of the camp, as found in the first volume of his memoir: