Pennsylvania historical plaque

William Penn & Harry Peck: Shared Birthdays and Silver Lake Connections

On October 24, we celebrate the shared birthday of two notable figures from our book, “The History of Silver Lake as Told Through Its Deeds”: William Penn and Harry Franklin Peck. While they lived in very different times, Penn’s legacy, in particular, has left a profound impact on the history of Pennsylvania and beyond. William…

Young Boys and Dangerous Waters

Young Boys and Dangerous Waters

“In an instant, Andy Torchia recognized the danger and realized his life was in jeopardy. His mind screamed with prayer, pleading for help to escape and find safety.” The book The History of Silver Lake, which chronicles the evolution of Silver Lake outside Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, describes three critical features that maintain the lake’s water level:…

Silver Lake outside Lewisberry PA

Hurricane Ida’s Impact on Silver Lake’s Earthen Dam

On August 31, 2021, a CBS affiliate issued a rainfall forecast map that used the rarely seen “purple” shading to indicate 10-12 inches of rain predicted for northern York County, including the Moores Mountain basin and Silver Lake in Lewisberry. As forecasted, on September 1-2, 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit York County, Pennsylvania,…

Unveiling the True History of Silver Lake

Unveiling the True History of Silver Lake

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended our presentation of “The History of Silver Lake As Told Through Its Deeds.” Special thanks to our moderator and videographer, Dominish Marie Miller, for recording and sharing the presentation, which received over 1.4K views in the “Preserving the History of Newberrytown” Facebook group. We also extend our…

Honoring the Last Voices: Rev. David Henkelmann’s Contribution

Honoring the Last Voices: Rev. David Henkelmann’s Contribution

In writing “The History of Silver Lake as Told Through Its Deeds”, we felt a deep sense of urgency, knowing that the firsthand witnesses to this history were nearing the end of their lives. Just weeks after our book was released, Robert “Bobbie” Vernon Stonesifer, Sr., age 96—born in 1927 to Guy and Mabel Stonesifer…

Silver Lake Amusement Park Newspaper feature

Silver Lake Amusement Park?

One unexpected discovery during our research for “The History of Silver Lake as Told Through Its Deeds” was that two York residents, LeGrand Dutcher and C.L. McKenzie, made a serious effort to establish an amusement park at Silver Lake in Lewisberry. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, amusement parks enjoyed a golden age,…

Stonesifer Family Tree Intersection

Connecting the Lewisberry And Silver Lake Stonesifer Families

We have noticed a growing interest in out blog posts about the Stonesifer family, including Guy, Bobbie, Ruth and Kris. In this entry we explore the Stonesifer family tree in more detail, providing our readers with more insights. The surname Stonesifer is familiar to many in the Lewisberry and northern York County area. In researching…

The Lewisberry Music Man

The Lewisberry Music Man

The movie The Music Man (Warner Bros., 1962) is a classic musical that tells the story of Harold Hill, a traveling music professor played by Robert Preston. “Professor” Hill arrives in a small town in 1912 and convinces the residents that he can teach their children to play in a marching band. However, his intentions are far…