Lancaster County: Vinegar Ferry

Vinegar Ferry, Marietta, Lancaster County. December 2020

Another name victim

Walking the Northwest Lancaster County Trail in winter can be brutal. When the winds blow down or across the river, it chills the bones. However, on a still, sunny day, the weather is excellent for a long walk without even breaking a sweat. At the end of Vinegar Ferry Road a riverside park with a nice pavilion was established including a boat launch. This particular section of the Susquehanna is smooth running without any rocks. The views over to Wildcat Ridge in York County are impressive. In addition, the place used to host one of the old ferries across the river.

According to https://yorkblog.com/universal/was-there-vinegar-at-vinegar-ferry/ there were at one time as many as 15 ferries across the Susquehanna connecting York to Lancaster and Dauphin Counties. Before the dams and the bridges, the Susquehanna would have been a major barrier to east-west travel in Pennsylvania. So why Vinegar Ferry? Read this taken from the York Recorder in 1811:

Winnegar’s Ferry

The subscriber informs the public that he has put the Ferry, known by the name of “Winnegar’s Ferry,” in complete order, to cross at any time. The subscriber has supplied himself with as good boats and ferrymen as ever split water, and he assures the public that great pains will be taken to afford travelers and others a convenient and safe passage.

He expects also to have good luck in shad fishing and all persons coming shall be well treated, and have shad if possible.

March 27, 1811. JOHN LUTZ

In very German Pennsylvania, Winnegar would have been pronounced "Vinegar". Over time the spelling changed. The whole thing reminds me of my own name trials and tribulations in Pennsylvania.[see: the Ancestor] The old ferry crossings were mostly named after the owners of the ferry services - Wrights Ferry and Shenks Ferry also come to mind. These places now remain only as occasional place names - more victims to "progress". A thriving industry vanished in a heartbeat. It reminded me of the Union Canal in Lebanon County. [see: Union Canal Tunnel]

Meanwhile, that lone tree very close to the original ferry site appeared so stark on a crisp winter's day. It begged for a photo and might even have been a sapling when the ferry was running.