Downtown Kershaw - 1952 - Lancaster County Photos

Downtown Kershaw is seen in Sept. of 1952.

Some of the places that can be seen are Simpson's Drugs, Hayes Pharmacy, Magill's Refreshment Center, Belk and more. 

(Photo by Julian Starr/The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive) 

Skateboarding in Lancaster - 1980s - Lancaster SC Photos

Skateboarding exploded in the mid to late 1980s. Many Lancaster skaters put their wooden ramps on wheels so they could easily move them around.

One popular spot was the Rice School parking lot.

This collage shows teens launching off ramps at Rice School and other locations in '87 and '88.

(Photos by Travis Bell)

From top left to right:

1) Jay Cunningham at Jo Manley's quarter pipe

2) Jo Manley and Brian Twitty at Rice School

3) Chris Hance at Rice School

4) Richie Christoper

5) Jo Manley at Rice School

6) Richie Christopher on Starcliff Circle in the Pleasant Dale community

7) Daniel Hance at Rice School

8) Travis Bell at Rice School (Photo by Jo Manley)

9) The late Patrick Durant at Rice School

Arch Street View - 1950s - Lancaster SC Photos

Arch St., looking west, is seen in the 1950s in downtown Lancaster. Up ahead is Main St. and the back of the former U.S. Post Office is on the left. 

If you drove up to Main St. and turned right, you would be driving towards Charlotte. Also seen is the Chrysler-Plymouth dealership on the left and at right is The Springs Block. 

This classic photograph was made by the photographer, Julian Starr Jr., while he stood at the intersection of Arch and White streets. Starr, who was the editor and publisher of The Lancaster News from 1952 through 1971, also had a love for photography. 

(Photo by Julian Starr Jr./The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive)

Springmaid Beach Aerial - 1960 - Myrtle Beach SC Photos

Springmaid Beach ,which provided recreation for Lancaster families for decades, is seen on March 29,1960 in this aerial photograph. 

Rooms were just $2.00 a night. Playground equipment can be seen in the top right of the image. 

(From The Lancaster Archive collection)  

North Elementary (Then North Junior High) - 1966 - Lancaster SC Photos

North Junior High, now North Elementary, is seen in the center of this 1966 aerial photograph. Also seen are the future locations of Lancaster Square, Lancaster Memorial Stadium and Dunkin. (Photo by Lavoy Studio via The Lancaster Archive) 

First United Methodist Church VBS - 1959 - Lancaster SC Photos

Children gather outside First Methodist Church on Gay St. during vacation bible school in the summer of 1959. Windows can be seen open as there was no air conditioning in the church at the time. 

See below for cropped versions, making it easier to see faces. 

(Photo by Lavoy Studio via The Lancaster Archive) 

Dobson Elementary - 1950 - Lancaster SC Photos

Students at Dobson Elementary School, located at 1636 Alpha Road, run towards Lavoy Bauknight's camera during recess in 1950. 

The Lancaster County Library bookmobile can be seen in the background. 

(Photo by Lavoy Bauknight via The Lancaster Archive)

LHS JV Cheerleaders - 1989 - Lancaster SC Photos

LHS JV cheerleaders pose for a group portrait in 1989. (Photo by The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive)

Catawba Fish Camp

 

Many thanks to Catawba Fish Camp for helping bring hundreds of celebrated images to life from Lancaster County's visual history!

LHS Cheerleaders - 1989 - Lancaster SC Photos

LHS cheerleaders pose for a group portrait in 1989. (Photo by The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive) 

Hot Air Balloon Celebrating Springs 100th Anniversary - 1987 - Lancaster SC Photos

A hot air balloon celebrates the 100th anniversary of Springs while sitting outside the Springs customer service building in Lancaster in 1987. (Photo by The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive) 

Lancaster Motor Speedway - 1989 - Lancaster Motor Speedway

Race cars and fans are seen near turn one at Lancaster Motor Speedway in March of 1989. The track has hosted thousands of races since it opened in 1954.

Did you know? In December of 2021, NASCAR used the speedway to test its Next Gen car for the dirt race at Bristol.

(Photo by The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive

Boy Scouts at Philmont Scout Ranch - 1976

Lancaster boy scouts pose for a group portrait at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico in 1976. 

The ranch opened in 1939 and is known as one of the top, high-adventure camps in the country. At 140,000 acres, it is the world's largest youth camp. 

(Photo from The Bob Hardin collection via The Lancaster Archive)

Buford Schools Aerial - 1951 - Lancaster SC Photos

Schools are seen in the Buford community on Rocky River Rd. in this 1951 aerial photograph. 

Bethlehem Baptist Church can be seen near the bottom. The Little General store building can be seen at left of center. 

(Photo by Lavoy Studio via The Lancaster Archive)

Red Rose Baseball Team - 1932 - Lancaster SC

The Lancaster (SC) Red Rose semi-pro baseball team poses for a group photo after defeating The Charlotte Firemen in the 1932 Carolinas Championship.

Included in this photo but not in order are bat boy Ray Wallace, M.I. Griffin, M.J. Wright, Therio Pittman, First name unknown for Knox, Ustis Myers, Will Smart, Roy Banks, Sam Pressley, Maxie Welks and Grady Boldin. (Photo via The Lancaster Archive)

Lancaster Feed and Farm Storefront - 1963 - Lancaster SC Photos

Lancaster Feed and Farm is seen on Market St. in 1963. The popular store sold plants, outdoor playground equipment, lawn mowers, sporting goods and more. This location is not far from the American Legion baseball field, which would be to the left of this building. (Photo by Lee Studio via The Lancaster Archive) 

Lancaster Feed & Farm

The sales floor at Lancaster Feed and Farm is seen in 1963. The popular hardware store sold everything from tools to baseball gloves and more. 

The business, which was always busy on Saturday mornings, was located on Market St., not far from the Lancaster County Fairgrounds. 

(Photo by Lee Studio via The Lancaster Archive) 

 

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St Luke Methodist Junior Choir - 1962

Children in the St. Luke United Methodist junior choir pose for a group portrait at the church in April of 1962. In front is Dr. Marshall, who directed the choir. (Photo by Lavoy Studio via The Lancaster Archive)  

Girl Scouts Day Camp - 1965 - Lancaster SC Photos

Girl Scout leader Sarah Porter, seated and wearing a box on her head, laughs with another troop leader while entertaining members during a day camp in Lancaster in June of 1965. (Photo by Lee Studio via The Lancaster Archive) 

Ledell Steele at Steele's Food Store - 1963 - Lancaster SC Photos

Ledell Steele, owner of Steele's Food Store bounces a ball outside his business in downtown Lancaster in 1963. Steele owned two grocery stores and was mayor of Lancaster from 1953 through 1966. Many locals may also remember Steele's son, Ledell, operating Steele's food store at the intersection of Meeting and Wylie streets. (Photo by Lavoy Studio via The Lancaster Archive) 

New Sponsor - Lancaster Barber Shop

The Lancaster Archive welcomes Lancaster Barber Shop as a new sponsor! Get a sharp look by Andrew at 115 S White St, which is near the "Lank Kiss Stir" mural.

Hours are M-F 9:00 to 5:00

PHONE: 704.292.3765

Thanks to all the sponsors who help bring hundreds of celebrated images to life from Lancaster County's visual history!

Photographer Spotlight - Lavoy Bauknight

 

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT

Many of the celebrated images on The Lancaster Archive were created by Lavoy Bauknight (1920-1995), who operated Lavoy Studio from 1947 to 1988. The Lancaster native graduated from LHS and later from Wofford. 

Here, in the 1960s, Lavoy poses beside his airplane while holding his massive, 4x5 professional camera, which produced film negatives over three times the size of 35mm format. The result was a higher-quality image compared to 35mm. 

Early in his career, after several flights with a pilot who couldn't get Bauknight the exact angle he wanted, Lavoy got his own plane and pilot's license. This allowed him to get the perfect angle in flight. He would get the aircraft in position, lift the window, which would stay up on its own thanks to the wind, then aim his 4x5 camera to get the shot.

He was considered by many to be ahead of his time, as evidenced by his breathtaking aerials of Lancaster and nighttime images of Main Street.  

He was the first photographer in Lancaster to place multiple, full-size studio lights on Main St. during Christmas parades, producing beautifully lit images of the floats at night.

When he was not in an airplane, he could still be found high above, usually in the bucket of a fire truck or on top of a building, making pictures of downtown Lancaster. 

He operated a retail camera shop and studio on The Springs Block for years and later moved to a location near Twin Pines on North Main St. 

As a member and president of The Professional Photographers of America's SC Chapter, he won dozens of awards at the group's annual Columbia meeting and inspired photographers statewide with his dramatic, panoramic pictures of Lancaster's Main Street.

This image was made possible by:

 

Tom Mangum Bridge Construction - 1985 - Lancaster SC Photos

A boat is lifted out of the water during the construction of the Tom Mangum bridge, left, in Aug. of 1985 at the Nitrolee Dam. 

Tom Mangum represented Lancaster in the S.C. House of Representatives. 

(Photo by The Lancaster News via The Lancaster Archive)