MECHANICSBURG, ALLEYS, AWNINGS, AND AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE

 

I "discovered" Mechanicsburg forty-three years ago when my family moved to Camp Hill,PA from Tarrytown/Ossinng, NY. Though both locales are as old--Mechanicsburg early 1800's,Tarrytown, middle 1600's-or older than our nation and are in northeastern states, their historic architecture have different looks and styles. I fell in love with the color of the brick buildings, with their heavy wooden doors and window trims, their arched passageway, narrow alleys between houses, leading to charmng back yards. All of these features reminded me, and still does, of the architecture that appears in Dutch genre paintings. Main Street in Mechanicsburg was lined with mature trees which provided restful shade and created rich shadows. About 25 years ago, the  State cut all those trees down to widen the road. People, including myself, were saddened, but happily the skinny "twigs" they planted as replacements have have grown and Main Street looks charming and inviting again.