Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Church    128     232 Herndon Ave.

The roots of the Parish stem from the establishment of Divine Saviour Hospital in 1938.  The Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy in Charleston began the hospital in a house donated by the Church W. Carroll family, who were the only Roman Catholics in York at the time.  In time, other families joined the Sisters for Mass, also held in the hospital house.  As growth continued, a building fund was established and on Christmas Eve, 1963, the church was open for worship with 30 families.

Built on one of York's oldest streets in 1907, this Victorian brick house features eight fireplaces, twelve-foot-high ceilings, beveled windows, a second story landing, and the sculpture of artist Daniel Howacyn, who renovated the home in the late 1980s.  Constructed near the site of a tannery, the Howacyn/Lee house has been the residence of some of York's most prominent families including the Herndons and the Clonigers.  Owned and occupied by Dr. and Mrs. J. Edward Lee.

This home was constructed either by a Mr. Kirkpatrick or Mr. J. M. Stroup, both local merchants, in 1910.  It features a 2½ story mansard style roof and a dormer with a mansard roof.

Constructed between 1901 and 1904 by W. B. Moore, this 2½-story clapboard residence features a hip roof, carved cornice with imbricated shingles on the front gable, and a one-story porch on the facade with spindle posts and bracketing.  Built in the Homestead style, it has a front-to-rear side hall and is the only remaining shotgun house in York.  The first owner, Miss Rosa Lindsay, was a photographer, and the later owners include the Morton family, who were known for their gardens.

A pivotal house.  The Lowry house was once the “big house” of a plantation on the outskirts of town.  It was built by Col. William C. Beatty, who purchased the land in 1834.  The original property extended from just west of the Presbyterian Church on up Wright Avenue.  Built in the 1840s, the house displays double front doors and floor-length windows that slide in the walls to open.  This feature made entertaining elegant and gracious since guests could easily move about from inside to the veranda.  The kitchen was originally separated from the house as was the custom in the 1840's.  In 1884, the house was given to W. B. Moore and his bride, Annie Lee Adickes, as a wedding present.  They lived here less than a year, for the bride was homesick.  She lived “so far out in the country that there was only a mulepath through the cotton fields to the house”.  In 1915 the house was purchased by J. M. Starr as a wedding present for his daughter, Mary and her groom, Samuel Kenneth Lowry, Sr., parents of the present owner-occupants.  Because previous owners had suffered with tuberculosis, Mr. Starr insisted on stripping all old plaster from the walls to sanitize the house.  They worked one year to repair the house, including replastering.  It was at this time that the home was remodeled and a Greek Revival gallery added.  Owned and occupied by Dr. and Mrs. S. K. Lowry, Jr.

A pivotal house.  Built in 1906 by O. E. Wilkins, founder of the now-defunct First National Bank (in the building directly across from the Courthouse).  This house is an unusual example of Victorian sandstone construction, called by some “The Cape Cod Villa” Style.  The house features magnificent hand-inlaid parquet flooring in the three front rooms and hallway (each area has a different design) and classically influenced high relief mantels in the Greek mythical motif.  The blocks of which the house is constructed were formed and baked on the site.  The house was later purchased by the McConnell family, who were successful merchants in York and the surrounding area in the 1920s.

This 1930's cottage was constructed by Joseph Herndon at the edge of his property for a friend who wanted a small home with one bedroom and two baths.  Some confusion ensued, and the final product included two bedrooms and only one bath.  Hence the contract was voided, and thereafter the house was used as a rental property.  In later years, the home stood vacant and dilapidated until a remarkable restoration by the then-owners, Johnny Miller and Bobby McDowell.

This house was built by Probate Judge E. Gettys Nunn in 1941.  Judge Nunn was a Probate Judge of York County from 1930 until 1955.  Prior to his taking office, the town had become a Gretna Green, as no waiting period was required between the issuance of a marriage license and the ceremony.  During his twenty-five year tenure, Judge Nunn performed the marriage ceremony for 60,000 couples.  York was known far and wide as the “Marrying Town.”

This ends the tour.