Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.
25 years ago
DIRECTOR: Richard Burley, 46, of Tyrone, was named director of the Lancaster County Vocational Technical School System. Burley was hired to replace Ralph M. Layman, who planned to retire at the end of 1984. (Oct. 5, 1984)
NEW PARK: Manheim was preparing to dedicate its new park at the corner of South Main Street (Route 72) and East High Street, just off the town’s Market Square. Every tree, bench and light standard in the Manheim Central Community Park was placed in memory of a friend or relative. The entire $50,000 project was funded solely by the borough’s residents, businesses and civic organizations. (Oct. 9, 1984)
CAN’T SUE: The U.S. Supreme Court barred 14 Americans held hostage by Iran for more than 14 months from suing the Iranian government in U.S. courts. One of the plaintiffs in the case was Duane “Sam” Gillette (left), a former Columbia R1 Navy man. The former hostages were among 52 Americans held captive after the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was stormed by supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini (right) on Nov. 4, 1979. They were freed in January 1981. (Oct. 9, 1984)
TROLLEY BUSES: James J. Lutz, executive director of the Red Rose Transit Authority, said the authority was considering the purchase of several small, trolley-like buses as part of a five-year capital-improvement program. (Oct. 9. 1984)
MILL BURNS: More than 75 firefighters battled a six-hour fire that wrecked historic Flory’s Mill, near Route 283 in Manheim Township, apparently ending operations in one of the few active flour mills in Lancaster County. Although the two giant mills escaped major damage, owner Tom Flory said fire destroyed all the accessories he needed to make flour. (Oct. 10, 1984)
MARKET PLAN: Consultants hired to study Southern Market’s future recommended that the Saturday farmers’ market be relocated and the 96-year-old structure converted to a new use as a visitors’ plaza, community recreational facility or headquarters for Lancaster police. The consultants found strong support for a Saturday market, however, and suggested it might be held in Central Market, which was open only on Tuesdays and Fridays. (Oct. 11, 1984)
50 years ago
CIVIL DEFENSE: A new civil defense plan for Lancaster County called for local residents to “dig in” and go underground in case of an enemy attack. The reason, officials said, was the possibility of atomic fallout. The previous plan had called for evacuation. Officials explained that after an atomic attack, Lancaster might be virtually unharmed. But if the city were to be evacuated, the moving population might run into wind-borne fallout and disaster. (Oct. 5, 1959)
MILLERS: With 397 listings, Miller was the most popular last name in the new Lancaster phone directory. Next in order of frequency were Herr, Smith, Martin and Weaver. (Oct. 5, 1959)
75 years ago
THEFT SPREE: Thieves spent a busy weekend in the city and county, entering three homes and two gasoline stations, and staging five petty robberies, police reported. Meanwhile, 17 city burglaries were solved with the arrest of a 21-year-old man from Atlanta, Ga. (Oct. 8, 1934)
VOTER ROLLS: Democrats made gains and Republicans suffered losses in voter-registration efforts in Lancaster City. Democratic registration hit an all-time high, at 7,708. Republicans numbered 13,423 and there were 1,713 independents. Countywide, there were 19,857 Democrats, 72,018 Republicans and 12,803 independents and members of minor parties. (Oct. 8 and 10, 1934)
100 years ago
CONSTABLE SHOT: A city constable was shot in the chest after he arrested a man who was selling whiskey on the street. The incident occurred in the middle of the afternoon at Mifflin and Beaver streets as the lawman was escorting the suspect to an alderman’s office in the first block of South Queen Street. The shooter fled but was later captured after he returned to his father’s home in New York. The constable was hospitalized in serious condition. (Oct. 5 to 8, 1909)
LAWSUIT: The owners of a Mount Joy cotton mill were sued in county court over an industrial accident that cost a 14-year-old boy his arm. The teenager’s family was seeking $25,000 in damages, alleging that the company should not have allowed the untrained youth to operate the picker machine in which his arm became caught. The plaintiffs also alleged the machine was defective. (Oct. 11, 1909)
