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Tuesday, June 6, 2023
160 years ago today on The Columbia Spy, June 6, 1863
Shown above is the front page of the June 6, 1863 edition of The Columbia Spy (less than a month before the Battle of Gettysburg). A somewhat more legible version of the page, as well as four other pages and the text of this edition can be found HERE.
D-Day was 79 years ago today; Columbian Raymond Wallace was there
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Raymond C. Wallace, Jr.
[Columbia Spy photo]
79 years ago today, on D-Day, the invasion of Normandy began. Columbian Raymond C. Wallace, Jr. was there. Sharon Lintner's LNP feature article on Wallace is HERE. .jpg)
Wallace's Hometown Hero banner was the first to be hung in Columbia (at 3rd & Locust).
[Columbia Spy photo]
Wallace, seen here giving a "thumbs up," participated in Columbia's 2023 Memorial Day Parade.
[Columbia Spy photo]
Monday, June 5, 2023
Columbia Borough Council votes to sell 400 Locust St. to Cimarron Investments
When: Columbia Borough council meeting, May 23.
What happened: Council members voted 4-2 to sell 400 Locust St. to Cimarron Investments for $60,000, preempting a $60,500 offer from Habitat for Humanity. Several council members and Mayor Leo Lutz said they thought Cimarron was a better fit for downtown Columbia.
Details: Both entities presented plans to build a multiuse development with commercial tenants on the first floor and residences slated for the second and third floors of what is now a vacant lot.
Differences: Cimarron will build two retail establishments and between four and six market-rate apartments at the site. The development would be worth about $1.5 million when completed. Habitat for Humanity offered one retail space and two 1,200-square-foot condominiums that would have been valued between $1.2 and $1.3 million.
For: Vice President Eric Kauffman and members Barbara Fisher, Todd Burgard, Peter Stahl and Joanne Price voted in favor of selling the land to Cimarron.
Quotables: "I've seen the effect that Cimarron has done in the last 10 years in the borough," Burgard said. "It's incredible." Fisher pointed to Columbia's commitment to support businesses as a reason to sell to Cimarron. "We need to focus on Locust Street," she said.
More: "This is in the heart of downtown," Lutz said. "Putting two homes there doesn't do what we want in our business district."
Against: President Heather Zink and member Sharon Lintner voted against the motion, because they want to increase home ownership in the borough.
Quotable: "The comp plan said encourage different housing opportunities for all people and all incomes," Zink said, referring to the borough's comprehensive growth plan. "I love the fact that this (Habitat for Humanity's offer) would encourage home ownership."
More: "I believe Habitat presented a better plan for the property, and they actually offered slightly more," Lintner said in a text message after the meeting. "Habitat said their homes would be 1,200-square-feet each, which to me sounds pretty good."
Question: Brad Chambers, a Democratic borough council candidate, asked council to require Cimarron to offer apartments with lower-rate rents. The borough is unable to put any deed restrictions on the property, Zink said.
MORE:
Deeds Recorded - Columbia Borough - June 5, 2023
Ruth Ann Freed and Eldercare Solutions Inc. conveyed property on a public road to Matthew McCormac and Brittany McCormac for $126,500.
The estate of Kevin E. Boris conveyed 510 Manor St. to Valley View Capital LLC for $88,500.
The estate of John P. Dicostanzo Sr. conveyed 1205 Walnut St. to Allison M. Yarrow for $255,000.
Columbia Mennonite Mission, Trustees of The Columbia Mennonite Mission, Nelson R. Habecker, Devon E. Groff and Clifford L. Charles conveyed property on a public road to Concilio Iglesias Evangelicas Shalom for $1.
Sunday, June 4, 2023
About Town - June 4, 2023
Recent photos of Columbia
(Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.)
Members of F3 PA Keystone Convergence marched through Columbia River Park last Monday morning. Their Facebook page is HERE.
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The wheels are back on the cannons at the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
The backstory is HERE.
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Workers appear to be installing cell antennas on the roof of St. Peter Apartments.
Water rescue training this morning
(Sunday, June 4)
Cactus flowers in bloom
This structure is rusting beautifully.
Sun-painted river reflections
Here's a closer look.
Canoes for a river safety program for students at Columbia River Park
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Doolittle's Tree Service
The former Mississippi State Flag
Traffic counter on Manor Street near the former airfield
Practice cars at the fire company
Mini bunting on Bridge Street
Sailing away
Bound to the road
The 5th Street Habitat project as of Friday afternoon
Cactus flowers about to bloom
Cherries
The Lancaster County Planning Commission was in town . . .
. . .doing a traffic study (?)
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Columbia author and journalist wrote 44 novels - and more
Columbia History - Did you know?
Reginald Wright Kauffman
Did you know a Columbia author and journalist wrote 44 novels and other works? It's true!
Reginald Wright Kauffman was a versatile professional who wore several hats as an author, editor, and journalist.
Kauffman was born on South Second Street in Columbia on September 8, 1877. After attending Cherry Street School and other area schools, he was accepted at Harvard University, where he wrote his first novel, Jarvis of Harvard in 1897.
After Harvard, Kauffman reported for the Philadelphia North American and the Saturday Evening Post and later joined the staff at McClure's Magazine in New York City.
In 1912, he represented the United States at the first Congress of Men’s Societies for Women’s Suffrage.
During World War I, he served as a war correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance in France and Belgium and became the only accredited correspondent in French waters with the US Navy. (Kauffman disagreed with the military's censorship of journalism.)
Following the war, Kauffman worked with the Republican Party and served as a peace delegate and a Red Cross member. He was an editorial columnist for the Washington Post and the Boston Transcript.
During his career, he also oversaw the New York Herald Tribune’s news bureau at the League of Nations, and later became editor of the Bangor (Maine) Daily News.
In Columbia, he supported the local arts by advocating for the establishment of a theater and promoting the work of local artists, including Charles Demuth, who painted several portraits of him.
Kauffman authored 44 novels, some of which are available from Amazon, and some contain references to Columbia. He also wrote screenplays for nine films based on his works. His novel The House of Bondage, which examined prostitution, was made into a 1914 film.
Kauffman's writing also focused on social trends and marginalized groups such as African Americans and immigrants. Throughout his life, Kauffman remained devoted to the cause of social justice and a range of progressive issues, including women's suffrage and workers' rights in addition to political reform.
After a renowned and prolific career, Kauffman retired in the 1950s. He died in 1959 and is buried in Columbia's Mount Bethel Cemetery.
Kauffman was born on South Second Street in Columbia on September 8, 1877. After attending Cherry Street School and other area schools, he was accepted at Harvard University, where he wrote his first novel, Jarvis of Harvard in 1897.
After Harvard, Kauffman reported for the Philadelphia North American and the Saturday Evening Post and later joined the staff at McClure's Magazine in New York City.
In 1912, he represented the United States at the first Congress of Men’s Societies for Women’s Suffrage.
During World War I, he served as a war correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance in France and Belgium and became the only accredited correspondent in French waters with the US Navy. (Kauffman disagreed with the military's censorship of journalism.)
Following the war, Kauffman worked with the Republican Party and served as a peace delegate and a Red Cross member. He was an editorial columnist for the Washington Post and the Boston Transcript.
During his career, he also oversaw the New York Herald Tribune’s news bureau at the League of Nations, and later became editor of the Bangor (Maine) Daily News.
In Columbia, he supported the local arts by advocating for the establishment of a theater and promoting the work of local artists, including Charles Demuth, who painted several portraits of him.
Kauffman authored 44 novels, some of which are available from Amazon, and some contain references to Columbia. He also wrote screenplays for nine films based on his works. His novel The House of Bondage, which examined prostitution, was made into a 1914 film.
Novels by Reginald Wright Kauffman
After a renowned and prolific career, Kauffman retired in the 1950s. He died in 1959 and is buried in Columbia's Mount Bethel Cemetery.
Headstone of Reginald Wright Kauffman and his wife Ruth Wright Kauffman at Mount Bethel Cemetery
[Sources: "Novelist of social reform had roots in Columbia", "Kauffman, Reginald Wright, 1877-1959", Columbia Historic Preservation Society
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