The "Lancaster, The Way It Was 50 Years Ago" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the Facebook Page "The Lancastrain" and reminiscing while reading some of the comments posted on the page that dealt with Lancaster as it was in the past.  Many comments were posted by those in their late 60s and early to mid-70s, the same time that I was growing up in Lancaster county.  For those readers who have never been to Lancaster, Pennsylvania or who have often wondered what life was like in Lancaster during the mid-20 century, I have pulled together comments that will give you an idea what it was like to grow up in the "Garden Spot of America".  Follow along as I re-post, exactly as they were written, comments and short stories about life in Lancaster years ago.

from Monica:
The Lancaster of the 1970’s stands firmly in my mind as a beautiful place in time, untarnished by the commerce along Rt. 30 and in some places, almost devoid of power lines and phone poles.

from Ivan:
Ya Ich Saaga so much changed in Lancaste Country Ich could not find the farm where Ich lived when a kid of 6 years old I had to ask someone where it was it is a shame that all you see is housing development growing up where there was once wonderful beautiful farms just wish sometime it would go back to the 40’s or 50’s then every thing would be just wonderful.

from Jack:

Lancaster always had its cast of characters, people who stood out either by their occupation or a strangeness that followed them about. Who could forget the astute member of the Lancaster City Police who directed traffic at N. Queen and Orange during rush hour? Or the member of the Lancaster City Fire Department who climbed the ladder to Watt and Shand's roof every holiday season?  Names elude me, but this was part of a picture tour of Lancaster.  We had "The Angel" who appeared downtown in her long flowing white capes and dresses. Her name was Mary Anne Wiggens, a 1965 Manheim Township grad who went on to marry Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses".  Then there was The Blue Man, who's skin was actually blue. A really nice conversationalist if you could catch him as he darted around the downtown area.  There was Lester "Don't touch me, I'm cool" Wilcox, the first guy in Lancaster with long hair and drummer for an imaginary band up in The Village in NYC called "Those Of The Future".  Les used to tell me to "Suck My Message".  I never did.   The Navy came to Lancaster alot as did the Shore Patrol and MPs Friday and Saturday nights. The GIs flowed down from Fort Indiantown Gap, the Navy cadets from Bainbridge Training Center in Port Deposit.  It was an interesting time 50 years ago.  Just letting some old memories drift by in no random order. You would have remembered Mr. SS "Captain Jack",  the guy with the weird Jeep. Lace up moccasins, faded jeans, the fringed buckskin coat.

My note:  I dated Mary Anne Wiggins when she was in 10th grade and I was a senior at MTHS.  We went to Hershey Park with my cousin Judy and her boyfriend Lance.  He drove his convertible.  We all got way too much sun and it was the last time she dated me.

from Robyn:

Then there was the”peanut lady”.  I would usually see her w/her fake peanut hat in central market, she lived up on king street; the way I understand after she passed the city went in and found over $70,000 under her mattress (she sorta had a small beard on her) she would walk around with little signs on her back too.

from Bonnie:

Ted Meister was the fireman who for many years climbed the ladder as santa.

from Harold: 

Yeah right, so you're tryin to tell me the santa I watched in the 60's wasn't the real deal, I'm telling you that HO, HO, HO was real and from the heart. 

from Sherry:

There was also the guy on College Avenue who thought he was the Lone Ranger. He was at Buchanan park alot.. This was in the early 60's.

from Dewie:

There was a sweet mop topped young man who walked around the west end in the 1970s carrying a broom. We observed him stopping in at stores up and down mulberry, chestnut, walnut, lemon, orange, charlotte streets after sweeping the sidewalks out front. Always smiling and said hi to everyone.

from Harold:

That was as he was known by ELTON JIMMY, he also went to area stores with pinball machines on the days the machine maintenance guy would come around and would clean the glass tops in exchange for free games on the machines, very nice kid.

from Anne:

Does anyone remember the guy who stood outside of Woolworth's who had shoulder length hair, wore sunglasses, looked Native American and called himself Chief? I stopped to talk to him sometimes.

from Jack:

That was my best friend and spiritual brother George Standing Wolf.  He wasn't a chief, but he was the son of a Lakota holy man. Through him I met John Trudell and Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman on later years, all of whom influenced my spiritual journey tremendously.

from Bernita:

Seriously?? The “angel” was Marianne Wiggins who married Salmon Rushdie! Wow, never knew that. We saw her all the time walking on Chestnut St & thought she was just some crazy lady.

My note: I think she must of had too much sun years before.

from Richard:

Hey everyone, I just got back from Leola in Lancaster county. I think like anything, if your away from a place for a certain amount of time the changes will most likely be more noticeable to you. Like seeing a relative or old friend after not seeing them for years, even though we ourselves are changing, getting older and maybe even a little bigger in some places. Lancaster to me is still beautiful, still that special place to be in, and like myself Lancaster is changing a little as time goes on. I think the basic goodness of this place has not changed, maybe its one of the reasons that i love it so much. Those that are living here can at least try and keep some of the development at bay, and maybe even help saving some farmland in the process. I hear a lot of people complain about Lancaster changing, and talk about the good old days, i say why not be part of the solution instead of the problem. I think Lebanon county where i live is looking in their rear view mirror at Lancaster, and has seen what some over-growth can do, so they are learning.  The state of Pennsylvania to my understanding has a land savings program in place. So one of my goals this year is to help my county save farmland, and i'll join the Lancaster farmland trust again as well. we might not win every battle, but we can at least try, and with that i could live with that. ………………..that’s my 5 cents folks, and good topic today.

I could go on and on about what people thought about Lancaster 50 years ago and posted online.  Fun to sit and read all the comments on "The Lancastrian".  Tune in to the Facebook page sometime and see for yourself.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.