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The arch, believed to be part of a railroad tunnel more than a century old, was unearthed earlier this week as bulldozers leveled the area planned for the home-team dugout of the York Revolution.
The find has generated interest among railroad buffs. They began researching and exchanging theories about the arch, located near the former Pennsylvania Railroad Station on the south side of the site.
"It is an amazing find," said Greg Halpin, an avid train enthusiast from York. "I find it fascinating. It is something that was buried for how long that is now unearthed, and no one knows what it is."
Halpin believes the arch is part of a tunnel used by railroad workers to move bags and goods underneath two busy rail lines from a passenger platform on one side of the tracks and Penn Station on the other. Several theories were exchanged on a site linked to Halpin's Web page called "Railroads of York."
"No one has a definite answer. It is somewhat of a mystery," said Halpin, who is assistant fire chief in York.
Steve Heffner, the owner of B&E Junction train shop in York, said
"And the guys who knew where they were and what they were used for are all dead," Heffner said.
This is the second arched tunnel found in the stadium footprint. A historic review, conducted last year, revealed a tunnel that was once used to move passengers underneath the rail line from a platform to the station.
Stadium planners are exploring whether it can be used as a pedestrian tunnel.
Blanda Nace, redevelopment manager with the York County Industrial Development Authority, said he is researching the background of the latest tunnel, which will be included in a historic profile of the neighborhood.
The profile was required by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission in order to raze 22 buildings in the city's Arch Street neighborhood. The YCIDA is the developer and owner of the planned 5,306-seat stadium.
"The tunnel was a surprise," Nace said.
He said sections of the latest tunnel within the stadium footprint are expected to be removed.
After inspecting the site Friday, Nace said it is about 3 feet tall - too low to permit people to move through it easily. He said he could not tell if it connected with the station, saying it could have been filled with dirt.
Nace believes the tunnel was used to store and transfer coal. Tunnels were used in the city as a quicker, easier way to deliver coal underground to fuel businesses and industries along the rail line, he said.
"It's just a theory at this point," Nace said.
RAILROAD HISTORY
In 1838, the first railroad train arrived in York from Baltimore. The Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad trains followed the path of the future Northern Central Railroad.
Today, county residents are familiar with the Northern Central because the Heritage Rail Trail stretches beside its tracks.
Source: 'Never to be Forgotten,' by James McClure
WHAT'S YOUR THEORY?
Join the debate about the arch's origins. Go to http://www.trainweb.org/rrofyork, then click on the link to the Yahoo Group discussion.
