York County and America250PA dedicate semi‑quincentennial bell at Camp Security

York County officials and representatives from America250PA dedicated a semi‑quincentennial bell at Camp Security Park in York County in a morning ceremony, marking the county’s role in Revolutionary War history and the Commonwealth’s lead‑up to the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The bell is part of a statewide America250PA program that will place 67 commemorative bells across Pennsylvania to highlight local sites where the country’s story “took root,” America250PA Executive Director Cassandra Coleman said. “The bell we unveil today is one of a series that we've commissioned across Pennsylvania as we prepare to mark 250 years of this country's story,” Coleman said.

Brian Tate, York County register of wills and clerk of orphan's court, who serves as chair of History Made Here York County and as the county’s America250PA representative, said the bronze bell is a permanent commemoration of the site. Tate described the placement as part of a yearlong county celebration that will lead into the national 250th observance.

Speakers at the event framed Camp Security as a locally significant but nationally connected site. Pennsylvania Chamber commissioner Gene Barr said the commission’s work aims to “tell the stories that weren't always told” and invited residents to share local history. “We wanna hear your stories,” Barr said. U.S. Rep. Scott Perry described Camp Security as “the first capital” in local rhetoric and praised those who preserved the site.

Local historian Jonathan Stayer, representing the Friends of Camp Security, outlined the site’s Revolutionary War history and the camp’s scale. According to Stayer, the encampment began receiving British prisoners in the summer of 1781; contemporaneous returns list 1,588 people attributed to Camp Security in April 1782, though Stayer said research suggests a smaller number lived on site and that between roughly 10 percent and as many as 25–30 percent of those detained died, probably from illness and shortages. Stayer summarized the site’s function: “Camp Security during the American Revolution was a name given to a prisoner of war encampment located in the fields and on the hill just to our south.”

Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor, an ex officio member of America250PA, said the markers encourage public learning: “This is about discovering our history,” he said, noting that the program highlights lesser‑known sites such as Dennis Farm in Susquehanna County and the Holly Silk Mill in Wayne County.

Organizers and local officials thanked funders and municipal partners who supported the bell’s installation, naming Explore York, the Arthur J. Lee R. Gladfelter Foundation, the Powder Mill Foundation, York County, and Springettsbury Township staff and supervisors. The county’s commissioners and a range of elected officials attended; several handed out citations and remarks recognizing the site’s preservation and educational value.

Jonathan Stayer closed the program by urging the bell be read as a reminder of the logistical and civic challenges faced by the new nation: “May this bell always remind us that such a nation started here,” he said. Organizers said the bell will remain at Camp Security Park as a permanent commemoration intended to anchor local programs and education tied to the 250th anniversary period.

The ceremony included music from the York Youth Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble, a color guard presentation, an invocation and readings, and citations presented by members of the state legislative delegation and others. Attendees included veterans, descendants of militia guards, and representatives of historical and preservation groups.