Strasburg Heritage Society

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Strasburg Heritage Society

The history of Strasburg, from 1729 to today.

05/30/2026

This week in SWN - The 1960 edition featured the memorial installation of the bell that was recovered from the remains of the old Strasburg Public School after it burned in 1944. The article includes the bell's story from 1944-1960. Nice to know it was brought out to celebrate the end of World War II.

This news item is a nice complement to the school history that was featured in the latest edition of the Strasburg Heritage Journal. The Journal is published twice a year, and is mailed to every household in the 17579 zip code, and to Strasburg Heritage Society members. If you don't receive it, you can still read it at https://strasburgheritagesociety.org/shs-journals. Or you can support us and receive a paper copy by becoming a member (https://strasburgheritagesociety.org/get-involved). Individual memberships are only $20/year.

05/24/2026

This week in SWN - Memorial Day 1908.

The parade was interesting, marching to the train station to meet the Paradise delegation, then continuing on. A presentation took place at the Strasburg Cemetery by the Ladies Auxiliary of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Army veterans organization). They presented a monument in memory of soldiers who served 1861-1865. It can be found in the southeast quadrant of the cemetery; a photo of it is shown below.

The Burgess requested that buildings be decorated suitably - that tradition lives on today!

05/21/2026

Strasburg Heritage Society's volunteer work day, which was scheduled for Saturday May 23, is cancelled due to inclement weather. The forecast for the day is 60% chance of rain all day and temperature hovering around 50°F. Rather than discourage volunteers and have an unpleasant day where it’s hard to get much done, we’ve decided to cancel this work day.

We hope to see you at the next work day on June 13. Remember, work days are always on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month.

For the up to the minute updates on the next work day, check our website at https://strasburgheritagesociety.org/events. We'll keep the event description updated for the upcoming work day, with a job list, tools needed, and last minute changes due to weather or other issues.

05/17/2026

This week in SWN - The May 13, 1988 edition promotes the Fish Derby, which was to be held the following day, at the Strasburg Pond on South Jackson St. This still is an annual event, put on by the Strasburg Sportsman's Association. It's normally held on the first Saturday of May, so this year's event was on May 2 - here's a photo from the Strasburg Sportsman's Association page:

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1793677581992390&set=a.766502604709898.

Watch for announcements from the Strasburg Sportsman's Association next year as May approaches.

The pond was created in January of 1941 by Harry C. Kaufman, founder of the Pequea Works Fishing Tackle factory at 19 Miller Street. (pronounced Pequea as "peck way"). He approached Borough Council, asking and receiving permission to use the Borough hose and water to flood the land to create a public skating rink. He also got permission to cut some wood on Borough land to build a fire by the pond, for the skaters. In December of 1941, when it was time to recreate the skating rink for the coming winter, he found that muskrats had made holes that prevented the pond from holding water. Again he went to Borough Council and received permission to hire a contractor to do further earthworks to better establish the pond.

If you have more to add to the story of the pond and the history of the Fishing Derby, please add it in the comments. That would be an excellent contribution to recording Strasburg's history!

05/10/2026

This week in SWN - The reporting on this event from 1909 tickled me😄! Weaver's drug store was at 13 E Main, where Don's Collectibles is today.

05/03/2026

This week in SWN - The pear tree planted at the Strasburg Elementary School 36 years ago for Arbor Day / Earth Week is still going strong!

04/28/2026

The garden tour is fast approaching - June 6 & 7. We are looking for volunteers to greet attendees at the various gardens and sign off on their books. We have Saturday shifts from 1pm to 4pm or we have Sunday shifts - 12 to 2pm or 2pm to 4pm. Please direct message Heather Reynolds, or text/call at 717-617-9501 if you are available to volunteer!

04/26/2026

This week in SWN - a wonderful example of neighbors taking care of each other. Mr. Bishop was 41 years old at the time of this illness. He recovered, and surely never forgot this kindness. He lived to age 70. His farm, which he inherited from his father, was along Route 896 and Little Beaver Creek.

04/18/2026

This week in SWN - The April 1921 edition mentioned mushroom pickers. They were probably looking for morel mushrooms, which appear in Lancaster County in mid-April into early May. They're kind of odd looking with a honeycomb textured cap. There are poisonous look-alikes, and even the edibile morels need to be cooked properly to be safe, but they're prized by enthusiasts. They're difficult to farm on a large scale, so they're mostly obtained by foraging. They can be found around old apple trees and other tired trees. Experienced morel foragers are often secretive about the best places to find them.

Address

P O Box 81
Strasburg, PA
17579

Telephone

717-687-3534

Website

http://www.strasburgheritagesociety.org/

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