The History of Silver Lake by Scott and Kathleen Webb
Written by John Robinson in the Book Review category and the Summer 2025 issue Topics in this article: environment, geography, geology, Silver Lake (York County), waterfowl
The History of Silver Lake
As Told Through Its Deeds
by Scott and Kathleen Webb
GWN Publishing, 155 pp., hardcover $39.99, paperback $29.99
Silver Lake is an ancient body of water adjacent to Lewisberry, York County, just 13 miles south of Harrisburg. Once the prehistoric home of reptiles and amphibians, the lake was used as a mill pond in the late 18th and 19th centuries and was developed into a summer resort in the 1920s and ’30s. This history is told through the records and deeds that were painstakingly researched by the authors, with a timeline included to help visualize these events within the history of our country.
The Webbs are owners of a cottage named Linger Longer on the shores of Silver Lake. Their grandchildren are the sixth generation to enjoy the cottage. After searching for an old map of the lake area, they discovered that much of the information passed down orally within the community was at odds with their findings, so they set out to tell the real history of the place.
Their narrative includes 250 years and covers geological, geographic, agrarian and social history. Sections deal with the leading personalities of the lake’s story, its role as a waypoint on the migration of Canada geese and home to other waterfowl, the history of local education, and concerns about public health and the environment. The story of Linger Longer and the many family members who have gathered there over the years is perhaps the book’s most poignant aspect.
The text is illustrated with drawings by the authors, color and black-and-white photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, and vintage postcards. Nine pages of references close the book.
John K. Robinson
Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, ret.