YORK 



C39G 



YORKTOWN 



descendant of the House of Lancaster. Henry 

 married the daughter of Kdwanl IV. and so 

 united the two royal families, lie was crowned 

 as Henry VII, the first of the great Tudor 

 monarch?. 



Related Subjects. The following articles in 

 these volumes will explain references in the above 

 discussion : 



ird, subhc:. Lancaster, House of 



Edward IV ami Richard, subhead 



rd V Richard II I 



Henry, subheads Henry Roses, Wars of the 

 VI and Henry VII 



YORK, PA., a manufacturing city in York 

 County, of which it is the county seat, situated 

 in the southeastern part of the state, ninety-six 

 miles west of Philadelphia and twenty-eight 

 miles southeast of Harrisburg, the state capital. 

 The Pennsylvania, the Western Maryland and 

 iryland & Pennsylvania railways provide 

 transportation, and interurban lines operate in 

 various directions from the city. In 1910 the 

 population was 44,754; in 1916 it was 51,656 

 (Federal estimate) ; less than two per cent of 

 this number are foreign born. 



York is the commercial center of a fertile 

 farming section. Immense power is generated 

 at Yorkhaven, about ten miles above the city, 

 by means of a crib dam, thereby increasing the 

 facilities for manufacture. Foundries and ma- 

 chine shops are the leading industrial plants; 

 chains of all kinds are made, one of the largest 

 chain works in the United States being located 

 here. Dental-supply, wall-paper and cigar fac- 

 tories also have an extensive output, and the 

 manufacture of water wheels, lime, cement and 

 silk is considerable. York has a $500,000 Fed- 

 eral building, a handsome county courthouse, a 

 county jail, a city hall, a Masonic Temple and 

 four market buildings. For advanced educa- 

 tion it has York County and Saint Patrick's 

 academies, York Collegiate Institute, two free 

 libraries and the county law library. There are 

 five hospitals, the county almshouse and a home 

 for children. 



York, named for the English town of York, 

 is the oldest permanent settlement in the state 

 west of the Susquehanna River. It was settled 

 by Germans in 1729, and was originally a por- 

 tion of Lancaster County. The county of York 

 was formed in 1749, when the town cf York 

 became the county seat; it was incorporated 

 as a borough in 1787 and as a city in 1887. 

 Fearing capture by Howe's army, the Conti- 

 nental Congress left Philadelphia and held ses- 

 sions here from September, 1777, until June, 



1778; it was therefore once the capital city of 

 the republic. In 1913 York adopted the com- 

 mission form of government. 



YORKTON, yawrk'ton, a town in South- 

 eastern Saskatchewan. It is served by branches 

 of three great transcontinental railways the 

 Grand Trunk Pacific, Canadian Pacific and 

 Canadian Northern and by the shortest routes 

 is twenty-seven miles southwest of Canora, 

 fifty-six miles northeast of Melville, 154 miles 

 northeast of Regina, 201 miles east of Saska- 

 toon and 278.5 miles northwest of Winnipeg. 

 Population in 1911, 2,309; in 1916, 3,144. 



Y'orkton is an important shipping point for 

 wheat, and has an elevator capacity of about 

 250,000 bushels. It also has a flour mill, a num- 

 ber of farm-implement agencies, and a variety 

 of manufacturing establishments. It is the 

 center of a judicial district and of a Royal 

 Northwest Mounted Police district, and has 

 Dominion lands and land-titles offices. The 

 courthouse is a noteworthy structure. The mu- 

 nicipality owns and operates the electric light 

 and power plant, waterworks and sewerage 

 system. York Lake, four and a half miles 

 away, is a popular summer resort. 



YORKTOWN, SIEGES OF. Yorktown, the 

 county seat of York County, Virginia, has twice 

 figured prominently in American history in 

 1781 and in 1862. The first siege was especially 

 noteworthy because it brought to a close the 

 Revolutionary War in America. Cornwallis, 

 with his army of 8,000, took possession of the 

 town in August, 1781, and fortified it strongly; 

 and on September 28, Washington arrived be- 

 fore the walls with his force of 16,000 men, 

 while a French fleet cut off the aid which Corn- 

 wallis had expected to receive from the vessels 

 anchored in the York River. The American 

 forces threw up their defenses, and on October 

 9 the bombardment began, Washington himself 

 touching off the first cannon. The firing con- 

 tinued for more than a week, and on October 

 18 Cornwallis was forced to surrender. This 

 was the last real battle of the war. In 1881 an 

 elaborate monument was erected to commemo- 

 rate Washington's victory. 



The second siege of Yorktown, an event of 

 the War of Secession, began on April 5, 1862. 

 The Confederate general, Magruder, with about 

 15,000 men, held the town, while before the 

 walls was encamped a force of 53,000 Federals 

 under General McClellan. Shortly after the 

 firing opened the Confederates were reenforced 

 until their number was 55,000, while the reen- 

 forced Federal army numbered 95,000. On the 



