A sneak peek of the new York County History Center ahead of its Aug. 2 public opening

Among the back-lit portraits that surround the base of the smokestack of the old Met-Ed generating plant in the 100 block of North Pershing Avenue – now the York County History Center – is a depiction of William Wood.

His portrait hangs among notables in York County history – from former Gov. Tom Wolf to Special Olympian Loretta Claiborne to 19th century industrialist Phineas Davis.

Wood, an African-American, was a machinist who worked in Davis’ shop at the corner of Newberry and West King streets. A historic placard notes the location of the shop and the accomplishments of Davis, which include building steam engines to power the riverboats Davis is credited with creating.

Wood’s contributions to Davis’ work, though, was lost to history.

Until now.

His story is told in an exhibit in the new history center. The placard states he began his career as a metalworker as a teenager and eventually went to work for Davis. “While there,” the placard states, “he assisted with the construction of the Codorus and several of Davis’ innovations, including the York.” (The Codorus and the York were steamboats.)

His story is among the expanded history of York County told in the sleek, new museum, a meaningful inclusion of the people who may not be in history books, but who, nonetheless, helped build this town.

“When I saw this,” Samantha Dorm, a member of the center’s board and among those instrumental in preserving and restoring the all-Black Lebanon Cemetery in North York, said as she pointed to the display including Wood’s portrait, “I actually started to cry. It reflected the influence of people who look like me and are related to me.”

It was part of the center’s mission. As the exhibits were developed, center President and CEO Joan Mummert said, the goal was to tell the complete story of York County’s history, outlining not just the accomplishments of the movers and shakers, but also the often-overlooked stories of the men and women who built the county.

“This is a special place,” Mummert said. “It belongs to all of us.”

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There is an exhibit telling the story of Etha Coles Armstrong, who, in 1905, was the first Black woman to work in a York manufacturing plant, a sewing factory. Armstrong later headed up the effort by Black women to gain the right to vote, running the campaign from her home in the 200 block of East King Street, a building still owned by her family.

Dorm contributed to the museum, donating a quilt that been sewn by one of her ancestors, her great-great-aunt Jane Keenheel, a former slave on a plantation in Bamberg, South Carolina. The quilt, Dorm said, was believed to have been fashioned from scraps of clothing from slaves. An analysis, though, showed that the fabric more likely than not came from swaths of samples from South Carolina’s textile mills, she said.

The 15,000-square-foot history center includes dozens of stories like these, housed in a stunning building that was once a coal-fired power plant. Remnants of the plant remain – the base of the smokestack and the coal bins. A large depiction of Met-Ed mascot Reddy Kilowatt – lit by some 250 led lightbulbs – greets visitors in the spacious lobby.

The history center bought the 52,000-square-foot building in 2015 and began fundraising and planning in 2017. Then the pandemic hit, delaying the project and increasing its cost.

The total cost was $31 million, and the history center still needs to raise $1 million.

The building’s location was perfect, said board Chairman Dennis Baughman, situated close by the historic Gate’s House and Golden Plough Tavern and the proposed waterfront park along the Codorus Creek.

Mummert said the center was designed to accommodate “streakers, strollers and scholars,” noting that streakers will be required to be clothed. Streakers rush through the museum; strollers take their time; and scholars, she said, will be able to access the massive archives of documents and records to tell the story of York County.

The center is expected to open to the public on Aug. 2. Admission from April to November is $20 for adults, $8 for students between 6 and 18 and free for children 5 and younger. From December to March, admission is $15 for adults and $5 for students. On Sundays, year-round, admission is $10 for adults and $4 for students.

Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: A sneak peek of the new York County PA History Center