This is a long blog post, if you like history, you should enjoy this. Go grab a cup of tea and start reading. If you don’t like history, you may want to skip this post.

I began doing walkabouts at a young age, walking all over Lancaster County, PA. Lancaster was the capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812. I lived near the Thaddeus Stevens School of Technology. I would walk to my grandparent’s apartment almost every other weekend; two miles each way. My grandparents, Clara and Harry, lived in an apartment building within blocks of the downtown area – 14 East Walnut Street. My favorite aunt, Auntie Bert, lived a few blocks from my grandparents, near Lancaster General Hospital. None of them owned a car, so we walked everywhere.

The highlight of my visits with my grandparents was the trip to the downtown farmer’s market. My grandmother would take me with her when she shopped at the Lancaster Central Market (the country’s oldest farmers’ market). She would carry a large wicker basket for the week’s groceries and I would carry my small wicker basket. I found this old photo of Clara’s basket and wish I had a photo of mine. My basket would be filled with Utz’s chips, Muenster cheese, and whoppie pies. Grandma’s basket would have items like scrapple, chow chow relish, shoe fly pie, Lebanon bologna from the S. Clyde Weaver booth, homemade Amish egg noodles, and amazing produce. As a treat, I was allowed to get a soft pretzel before we left the market. All the vendors knew my grandmother and called her by name. Quaint does not begin to describe the experience of going to market on a Saturday morning. This is one of my favorite memories.

Neighborhood grocery stores abounded in the city of Lancaster, as well as taverns, penny candy shops, and malt shops. My two aunts (grandfather’s sisters, Aunt Mary and Aunt Grace) lived in the same apartment building that my grandparents lived in. They all had their groceries delivered from the corner grocery that was located a block away.

I have read that shopping can release endorphins. I am quite certain that the stimulation of all the colors and textures in a farmers’ market can do that. I believe there is a real possibility that endorphins can be released into your body during a walkabout and a warm glow will come over you.

When I was young, the Lancaster downtown area was magical. The historic buildings were magnificent (most are gone today, in the name of progress and modernization). In the 60’s and 70’s entire blocks were razed through an urban renewal program – out with the old, in with the new. It was heart-breaking to watch the demolition of the buildings and watch the history disappear. What came after was horrifying to me; large cement structures that took over entire blocks.

There were three large department stores in downtown Lancaster, Watt & Shand, Hager Brothers Department Store, and M.T. Garvin & Co. Watt & Shand operated from 1879 to 1992. It is now the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square. The Hager Brothers building, designed by Lancaster architect C. Emlen Urban, was built in 1910, sold to Watt & Shand in 1968 and closed in 1977. It is currently the site of The Shops at Hager and The Condominiums at Hager are located upstairs.

In 1970, Watt & Shand opened a store in the new mall outside town, Park City. Building that mall was another act accomplished by spinning it as keeping up with modern times. All the cities, at that time, were developing malls. And we continue to this day to try and attract people to go back to their downtown areas. Elaborate development plans are created to resurrect downtown areas. Instead of renovating the buildings that create charm, we let them deteriorate and build new buildings far from urban locations. It is encouraging that many cities have “seen the light” and are now spending the money to save buildings or at least build in a sympathetic style to integrate into existing historical sites. I realize I am on my soap-box talking about this. I have watched this happen in many other cities throughout the United States. It is a slippery slope when store and restaurant/tavern owners leave a downtown area. Crime escalates in the neighborhoods and people stay away. Turning that scenario around is a challenge. Kudos to the brave souls who take the chance and revitalize downtown areas.