The "The Story of Grandview Heights: The Big Move" Story

Foreword:  A week or two ago I was given a CD by my summer printing partner and long time friend, Mike, who said that he was recently given a box of old photos by Matt, a real estate agent and friend of both of us.  Matt was moving from the area and thought Mike would enjoy viewing all the old photos of what is known as Grandview Heights in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Mike has lived there for over 40 years while I moved to the Heights with my parents in the mid-1960's and Carol and I bought a home in the Heights in 1968 and spent 29 years in the same home until we moved to our dream house we call "The Beach House" in 1997.  The CD Mike gave to me was made by a neighbor to whom he loaned the photos who scanned and titled all the photos which he placed on the CD he called "Early Grandview Heights".  Today's story tells the tale of how I came to live in the Heights and why it was so hard to finally leave our treasured home in the Heights.

LDub standing on the porch at 929 N. Queen

It was an ordinary day.  A day back in the late 1940's when my mom, dad and I moved from our city rental on West Orange Street in the city of Lancaster, PA to our first home on North Queen Street on the north side of Lancaster, a block past the city limits in what is known as Manheim Township.  Mom and dad had saved for a few years before they purchased the semidetached home that had three-bedrooms, one bath, living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen and full basement.  The roof was flat, covered with rubber and a layer or two of pitch.  As I grew older mom and dad often talked about saving enough to be able to move to the Heights, since that is where those who had "wealth" lived; at least in their minds.  Many of my friends as well as friends of my brother, who was five years my junior, lived in the Heights so we did get to visit the area during our junior and senior high school years.  After graduation I entered Millersville State Teachers College while still living at home.  During my sophomore year mom and dad made the announcement that they had bought a place on Janet Avenue in the Heights; a single home to be exact.  

Mom and dad saved for years to move to the Heights

Neat little place that had a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, small dining room, very small kitchen and large screened-in rear porch which was mom's pride and joy.  There were three bedrooms on the second floor and a full basement with outside entrance.  Mom and dad had one of the bedrooms while my brother and I shared the other.  The third was very small and served as a TV room as well as an office for dad.  Mom and Dad were in heaven now that they lived in the Heights.  Dad had a big front and back yard to mow and loved taking care of the property.  There were concrete walks throughout the Heights with grass between the walks and the street.  The trees through Grandview Heights were for the most part mature and provided plenty of shade for most properties.  Grandview Heights was still one of the most popular neighborhoods in Lancaster County in which to live.  

925 Janet Ave. - Our home in the Heights

Well, in 1967 I got married and moved out leaving just the three of them in the house.  Didn't take long though before I was back in the Heights with my new bride.  Just before our first year lease had expired on our rental apartment, we purchased a home in the Heights ….. Janet Avenue to be exact …. in the same block as my mom and dad, but at the other end of the block and on the other side of the street.  

Bringing our second child home from the hospital

Place was a semi- detached English Tudor that was one of the first properties built in the Heights.  Had three bedrooms, one bath, living room with fire-burning fireplace, dining room, small kitchen, full basement, full third floor and a one-car garage.  All three of our children were born and brought home to our place in the Heights.  I had a front yard and back yard to mow and a home that needed constant painting.  I can still remember moving into the house and on the first night laying in bed and wondering if we had made the right move.  Heavens, we must have because we were in the Heights!  Carol and I had every intention to make it our first home, a starter home, and eventually move to maybe a single home.  Well, we lived in the Heights for 29 years in the same house and only moved out when we became empty-nesters.  

Our Chesapeake Bay house in Lancaster

We had always wanted a place along the Chesapeake Bay, but after finding we needed at least a million for anything nice, we settled for a home that looked like we lived near water.  Only problem was it wasn't in the Heights, but we love what we call our "Beach House".  We loved our time spent in Grandview Heights and will cherish the memories of those years of raising our family in perhaps the best neighborhood in Lancaster County.  For the next few days I will give you a look at what and where Grandview Heights is located and how it all came to be and this was made possible because of the CD that Mike gave to me recently while at work.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.