History of Cumberland and Adams counties, Pennsylvania. Containing history of the counties, their townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc.; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; biographies; history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc., etc, Part 47

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Publisher: W. Taylor
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USA > Pennsylvania > Adams County > History of Cumberland and Adams counties, Pennsylvania. Containing history of the counties, their townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc.; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; biographies; history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc., etc > Part 47
USA > Pennsylvania > Cumberland County > History of Cumberland and Adams counties, Pennsylvania. Containing history of the counties, their townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc.; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; biographies; history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc., etc > Part 47

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At this time (IS46) the appearance of Carlisle was, as might be expected, very different from what it is to-day. The present jail had not been built. the present court house had been erected that year; the old open market-house, with its low roof and pillars, stood upon the square; the Episcopal Church stood where it now stands, but with its gothic steeple built at its eastern ex- tremity, and with the square enclosed with iron chains, depending from heavy posts. To the west, upon the other square, was, of course, the venerable stone church, but without its modern tower; and beyond, where the house and grounds of Mrs. Robert Givin now are, the long, low line of buildings, the front one of which was used as a hotel. The pavements were of stone flags. The railroad, as we have mentioned. ran through the street, but the square was more open, and the town had a more rural and primitive appearance, more in keeping with the imaginative picture we have presented of it.

23S

HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.

MCCLINTOCK RIOT.

In June, 1847, occurred in Carlisle what is known as the Mcclintock riot. It was caused by the resistance made to the capture of three runaway slaves, and resulted in the death of one of the men who had come for them, and in the trial of a great number of negroes and of Dr. McClintock, who was, how- ever, with some of the others, acquitted. *

We have now brought the history of Carlisle down to a period within the recollection of many of its inhabitants. It is a history which is full of in- terest; which embraces the early Indian days, the " Provincial" and the "Rev- olutionary" periods, down to the present; during which time a great govern- ment has been founded, and a great nation has sprung into existence. To preserve that nation, Carlisle also did its duty.

WAR OF THE REBELLION.

During the late war Cumberland Connty was prompt in furnishing its quo- ta for the defense of the National Government. Six companies left Carlisle and participated bravely in a number of the most severely contested battles of the war.

During a great part of the struggle the inhabitants of the valley were kept in a state of constant alarm by reason of frequent threatened invasions of the enemy, and stampedes often from an imaginary foe. There was almost, there- fore, a feeling of relief when the Confederate forces actually made their ap- pearance in the summer of 1863.

The first alarm of the approach of the enemy was early in June, but the alarm subsided, and scarcely had the people begun to be lulled into a fatal se- curity, when the news was received that the entire Rebel army was advancing down the valley. Two New York Regiments, the Eighth and Seventy-first, which had been stationed at Shippensburg, retreated to this place, and began making active preparations for defense. Militia were organized, pickets were thrown out, and rude breastworks were hastily constructed about a mile west of the town. On Wednesday, June 24, the home companies proceeded to the scene of the expected action on the turnpike. During the afternoon the cav- alry pickets on the Shippensburg road were driven slowly in, and at evening reported the enemy to be within four miles of the town. A scene of excite- ment ensued, which lasted during the following day. College commencement was held at an early hour in the chapel, and the class graduated without much formality, troops were drawn up in the streets, and, altogether, the town wore quite a military and rather disturbed aspect. On Friday it was more than usually quiet, but on Saturday morning (June 27), the cavalry pickets fell back through the place and announced that the enemy was at hand. It was Jenkins' cavalry. They were met by several citizens and informed that the town was without troops and that no resistance would be made. Accordingly they advanced and entered the town quietly from the west, with their horses at a walk, but with their guns in position to be used at a moment's warning. A portion went to the garrison and the rest came back and stopped at the Mar- ket House Square. The hotels were filled with officers and the streets with soldiers. A requisition for 1,500 rations was made upon the town, and was immediately supplied by the citizens. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon the sound of music announced the arrival of Gen. Ewell's corps, which came by the way of the Walnut Bottom road, its bands playing "Dixie" as it marched through the streets of Carlisle. They presented a sorry appearance.

*A full account of this riot and the trial which followed can be found in Dr. Crook's Life of Rev. John Mcclintock.

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BOROUGH OF CARLISLE.

Many of them were shoeless or hatless, most of them were rugged and dirty, and all were wearied with their long march. A brigade encamped upon the college grounds and others at the United States Garrison; guards were posted, and strict orders to permit no violence or outrage were issued, und so woll enforced that scarcely a trace of occupation by a hostile force was visible after their departure.

Upon the failure of the authorities to comply with an extravagant roquisi- tion for supplies, squads of soldiers, necompanied by au officer, were com- manded to help themselves from the stores and warehouses. On Monday. 29th, the force showed symptoms of retiring, and before the dawn of the next day the rumbling of the wagon train announced the movement of the army.

About 2 o'clock in the afternoon (Tuesday, June 30) some 400 of Col. Cochran's cavalry entered the town from the Dillsburg road, and were soon riding wildly through the streets, shouting, screaming and acting like madmen. During the night the entire force of the enemy left, after having destroyed the railroad bridge, and by Wednesday (July 1) the town was clear of the last band of rebels, when, amid the acclamations of the people, the Union troops entered with several batteries of artillery. *

The most exciting scene in this little drama was yet to come. At about 7 o'clock in the evening of this day (July 1. 1863). a large body of cavalry (under Gen. Fitzhugh Lee) made its appearance at the junction of the Trindle Spring and York roads, and at first were supposed to be a portion of our own forces. Their boldness was well calculated to produce such an impression. They came within 200 yards of the town, sat in their saddles, gazing up the street at the stacked arms of the infantry. After a few shots had been exchanged, they commenced shelling the town. The citizens were upon the streets at the time. The utmost alarm prevailed. For more than half an hour the bombardment was kept up, when they begun raking the town with grape. At about dusk they ceased firing and dispatched a flag of truce with a demand for the surrender of the town. This was indignantly refused. The bombardment was renewed with greater violence than before. The scene which followed it would be difficult to describe. Many persons began fleeing from their homes, some to seek protection in the open country, and others to find a refuge from the shells in the cellars of their dwellings. At about 10 o'clock a great sheet of flame spread over the sky in the northeast, and the an- gry crackling of the fire, as it mounted heavenward, could be heard amid the roar of the artillery. They had fired the barracks. Just when the scene was grandest the artillery ceased, and, in the silence which succeeded, another flag of truce was sent into the town, and another demand was made for its uncon- ditional surrender. This was again refused. After shelling the town again, more feebly, however, than before, and destroying. in addition to the barracks, the gas works and some private property, the Confederate forces retired.

Gen. Fitzhugh Lee withdrew with his forces that night over the mountains, and in the afternoon of that ever memorable 2d of July, the people in Carlisle could hear the heavy thunder of the guns at Gettysburg.

In the light of subsequent events there is no doubt that Carlisle could have easily been captured, and that the shelling of the town was meant, in part at least, only to cover the retreat of these Confederate forces, who were already under the shadow of the great catastrophe which was to follow.

SITUATION, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, ETC.

The borongh of Carlisle is situated in latitude 40' 12' north, longitude 77° 10' west. eighteen miles west of Harrisburg. in the Cumberland Valley, bounded

"At sunrise Col. Body's cavalry, and half past 6 o'clock Gen Smith, preceeded by three regiments.

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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.

upon either side by the long ranges of the Blue or Kittatinny Mountains. The town lies in the midst of a rolling country which is both beautiful and productive.

The borough is laid out into wide and straight streets, rectangular, well macadamized, and with many trees which. particularly during the spring and summer months, add greatly to the beauty of the town, The two principal streets, High and Hanover, are eighty, and all the others sixty, feet in width. The Public Square in the center of the town, bisected by the two principal streets, is peculiarly attractive. It is handsomely laid out, ornamented with trees, and has the court house, market-house, First Presbyterian Church and St. John's Episcopal Church on its four corners.

A monument erected to the memory and inscribed with the names of the officers and men who fell during the Rebellion, stands upon the southwestern portion of the square. The court house, also upon the southwest corner of the square, was erected in 1846, the one previously erected in 1766 and ex- tended in 1802, to which the cupola, containing a clock, was added in 1809, having been destroyed by fire. The present brick building has a massive por- tico somewhat after the Greek style, supported by heavy white pillars, and is surmounted by a cupola and clock for public uses. The commodious modern brick market-house, erected in 1878, occupies the whole of the southeastern section of the square. The county jail, on the corner of Main and Bedford Streets, is a large and imposing brown stone structure with high turreted front

and round tower, and which might almost be mistaken for a Rhenish castle, if it stood on the green slopes of that romantic river. It was built in 1854, on the site of the old prison, which was erected just one century before, and which was enlarged in 1790. The county almshouse, beyond the eastern border of the town, is as large and commodious establishment, with farm attached. Be- yond it, looking toward the town, to the right, and only about half a mile away are the large lawns and long lines of yellow buildings, known heretofore as the Carlisle Barracks. They were built by the Hessians captured at Trenton, in 1777. They have been occupied by troops, cavalry, artillery and infantry, or have been used as a recruiting station during most of the time since the Revo- lution. They have also been the home, at different times, of many of the offi- cers, both Union and ex-Confederate, who were engaged in the late war. On the night of July 1, 1863, they were almost totally destroyed by the Confeder- ate forces under Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, but they have since been thoroughly re- built, extended and beautified, and for the last five years have been used as a training school for the education of Indians.

CHURCHES.

There are many churches in Carlisle, so that almost every religious denom- ination is represented in the structures which they have erected, in which each individual can worship God according to his conscience. Of these, for its solid architectural beauty and its age, the old First Presbyterian stone church, on the northwest corner of the square, is particularly worthy of mention. Al- though built before the Revolution, two Presbyterian Churches had preceded it. The first church edifice erected in Carlisle by what was then known as the "old side, " a two-story building, stood at the northeastern intersection of Hanover and Louther Streets, and was erected about 1758; and the church erected by the " new side " was at the southwestern intersection of Hanover and Pomfret Streets, and was probably erected about the same time. Rev. John Steel was pastor of the former, and George Duffield. D. D., was ordained pastor of the latter in 1761. The next church edifice erected by the old side -which is the present First Presbyterian Church-was begun in 1769 and

241

BOROUGH OF CARLISLE.

probably finished in 1772, at which time Dr. Duffield removed to Philadelphia, and the two congregations were afterward, in May, 1756, united. The large additional stone tower was erected in 1973, but the main body of the build- ing, with its solid masonry of grey limestone with marble trimmings, stands as it was first constructed.

St. John's Episcopal Church, on the northeast corner of the square, was built in 1925, near the site of its predecessor, erected about 1765, and is a very neat and tasteful Gothic building. The chapel was added in 1885.

The Second Presbyterian Church, on the southeast corner of Hanover and Pomfret Streets, is a fine specimen of the usual modern gothic type, and was erected in 1872, ou the site of the former erected in 1834. (In 1833 a por- tion of the Presbyterian congregation, by reason of a doctrinal dispute, or- ganized themselves into a separate congregation and worshiped in the county hall till 1834, when their first church was built. )

Methodist Episcopal Church. - After the Revolution the Methodists met in the market place, then in the court house, and subsequently in a small frame building on Pomfret Street, in which place they formed a small class in 1792-93. A few years afterward, in 1802, they built a small stone house on Lot 6I, at the corner of Pitt Street and Church Alley, which was followed in 1815 by a more commodious building on Church Alley; and this, in turn, gave way to another of still larger proportions on the corner of Pitt and High Streets, where the present church now stands. This was taken down in 1876, and the present Centennial Church erected. In 1854 a portion of the members with- drew, and after worshiping for a time in the chapel of Dickinson College, erected the church edifice known as Emory Chapel, which, after the reunion of the congregations, was used as the preparatory department of the college.

English Lutheran. - The German Reformed and Lutheran congregations worshiped on alternate Sabbaths in the same church (which stood upon the present German Reformed burying-ground) until 1507, when each congrega- tion erected a house of worship for its own use. The Lutherans built theirs near the corner of Louther and Bedford Streets, but it was burned down in the destructive fire of March, 1851 .* It was immediately rebuilt. It is their present place of worship.

The German Reformed Church (built in 1807) was located on the lot afterward used as a preparatory school building of Dickinson College. Having sold it, they built, in 1827, a church at the corner of High and Pitt Streets, which they afterward sold to the Methodist Episcopal congregation, and, in 1535, erected the one which they now occupy on Louther Street. During the year 1866 they remodeled the church, greatly enlarged the building, which they surmounted with a spire 127 feet in height. The style is gothic, with stained windows and interior frescoed.

German Lutheran .- In 1953 the German portion of the Lutheran congre- gation separated from the English, and erected a neat church on the corner of Bedford and Pomfret Streets.

The Roman Catholic Church, on Pomfret Street, is built in the figure of a cross. It was erected in 1507, and enlarged in 1823. The lot upon which it stands was owned at an early day by the Jesuits of Conowago, who had upon it a small log church, in which the Roman Catholic congregation worshiped until the present one was built.

"On a windy night, the 13th of March, IRil, occurred one of the largest fires that has ever devastated the town. Some forty-two buildingw were destroyed, and among these was the English Lutheran Church, near the corner of Bedford and Louther Streets It was Immediately rebuilt. On this occasion all the Inmates of what was then the old jail, were liberated, necessity compelling the jailor to give them temporary freedom,

242

HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.

An Associated Presbyterian congregation was organized in 1798. They had bought, two years previously, a lot from the Penns, and on it they erected a stone church, on South West Street, in 1802. which was purchased and remodeled in 1866, and re-opened as the Church of God. It is now the Methodist Afri- can Zion Church.

The Evangelical Association has a very creditable church upon Louther Street, built in 1869. Besides these which we have mentioned, there are sev- eral African churches in the town, and a very beautiful gothic mission chapel, built in 1884, in the northeastern portion of the town, a donation of Mrs. Mary Biddle, of Philadelphia.

CEMETERIES.

The two principal burial places of the borough are the beautiful Ashland Cemetery-with its winding walks overshadowed by green trees-which was dedicated as a place of burial, on Sabbath afternoon, October 8, 1865; and the Old Graveyard, coincident with the borough in its birth, which contains the monuments of very many old families and noted names.

SCHOOLS, INSTITUTES AND COLLEGE.

The public school buildings of the borough, eight in number, are ample in size and well adapted to their purpose. (The common school system went into operation in Carlisle August 15, 1836. There were then 16 schools and 928 scholars. In 1879 there were 20 schools and 1,003 scholars. 481 being males and 522 females). The schools, now 21 in number, are judiciously graded, and the high school will compare favorably in grade and thorough- ness of training with similar institutions elsewhere.

The importance of education was fully appreciated by the earlier settlers, and the church and the school were inseparable companions. A classical academy was in existence in Carlisle prior to the Revolutionary war.

An account of the "Metzgar Female Institute," "Indian Industrial School " and "Dickinson College " will be found in the Educational Chapter XI., page 195.

LIBRARIES.

The libraries in the borough consist of the Law Library, in the court house building, which, containing not only the various State reports, but the English reports also, and many text-books, is as complete as can be found in any town in the State; the College Library, and the libraries of the two societies belonging to the College; and the Hamilton Historical Library, for which a separate build- ing, comparatively as yet without books, has been erected from funds left by its founder, James Hamilton, Esq.

NEWSPAPERS.

The first newspaper published in Carlisle was called The Carlisle Weekly Gazette, edited by Messrs. Kline & Reynolds. It was a small four page paper, the first number of which was issued in July, 1785. The present papers in Carlisle are the Carlisle Herald, the American Volunteer and the daily and weekly Valley Sentinel. The Carlisle Eagle (Federal) was commenced as early as 1799, and was the progenitor in a straight line of descent, of the present (Republican) paper. The American Volunteer was born September 15, 1814, and has always been consistently, or inconsistently, Democratic. The Valley Sentinel (Democratic) was started in April. 1861, at Shippensburg. It was purchased by Mr. H. K. Peffer, its present proprietor, in May, 1874, and removed to Carlisle. The Daily Evening Sentinel was first issued in Decem- ber, 1881.

Planning

215

BOROUGH OF CARLISLE.

MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS, ETC.

Carlisle is still. as it always has been, chiefly the county seat and conter of a rich agricultural district, but of late years, with the more developed resources, and more exten lel railroad facilities of the Cumberland Valley. it has grown with its growth anl awakened to the importance of the manufacturing indus- tries also. The most extensive industrial establishments are the shoe, car- riage and large car factories, the chain and spoke works, machine shops and foundry. The new car works are very extensive buildings, erected in 1SS2, lying within the eastern boundary of the borough. There is, of course, the us- ual, or more than the usual. number of various mercantilo establishments, banks, etc., of which the town seems always to have been well supplied.

GAS AND WATER COMPANY.

Carlisle is plentifully supplied with pure limestone water from the reser- voir on the Conodoguinet Creek, and the streets of the town are also lighted with gas, both reservoirs being under the control of an incorporated stock company, started in 1553.

SOCIETIES.

The Young Men's Christian Association, of Carlisle, was organized March 21. 1559, by a number of leading Christian men in the town. when Mr. Joseph C. Hoffer was chosen president. The association opened a public reading room in Marion Hall on West High Street, on September 19, of the same year. They had a library of 405 volumes, the gift of the citizens, and in their rooms and upon their tables and files were found six daily newspapers, fifty weekly religious and secular papers, and magazines. The association also sustained a series of free lectures, which were largely attended, and it also maintained a union prayer meeting, which was held weekly under its auspices. The asso- ciation did a good work for the community by its free reading-room and relig- ious work. The records show 1.944 visits to the rooms from the 19th of Sep- tember. 1559, to March 21. 1560. After some time the rooms were closed, but the religious work of the association was sustained, when, on Friday evening, August 2, 1987, pursuant to a notice given at the young men's prayer meet- ing, which was held on Monday evening, previous, a committee, consisting of a number of leading church members, was appointed to take into consideration the practicability of reorganizing the Young Men's Christian Association. The committee reporting favorably, the organization was at once effected, with Mr. Jacob C. Stock as president, who filled the office until January, 1868. Public reading rooms were opened on the second floor of the Kramer building, on the corner of West High Street and Court House Avenue. A circulating library was again opened and six leading daily newspapers and eight monthly maga- zines were provided, besides a number of weekly papers. A daily morning meeting was instituted, cottage prayer meetings were carried on under the direction of the association, and monthly sermons were preached for the bene- fit of young men. Mr. H. K. Peffer was elected president for the year 186S. In the spring of 1869 the association vacated their rooms on West High Street, moving into the second-floor rooms, known as the " Halbert corner," on the southeast corner of North Hanover and Louther Streets. In connection with the other religious services of the association. open air meetings were con- ducted in different parts of the town on the Sabbath evening during the sum . mer and early fall. Mr. John T. Green served the association as president during the years 1869 and 1870. In the spring of 1970 the young men va- cated their rooms, sustaining a religious work of the association and holding

246

HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.'

their business meetings at the homes of members. Mr. J. C. Stock was again elected president, serving from 1871 to 1873 inclusive. The association insti- tuted Sabbath afternoon meetings at the jail and also at the county almshouse, and a tract distributor was appointed for the town work. In the beginning of the year 1872, the association purchased the Mission Chapel located at the corner of North and East Streets, known as Dickinson Mission Chapel, the amount paid being $900. Mr. J. C. Stock was elected superintendent of the school, which numbered about thirty scholars. The State Convention of the Young Men's Christian Association of Pennsylvania was held at Carlisle September 10 and 12, 1872, with 150 delegates in attendance. Mr. John H. Wolf was elected and served as president of the association for the year 1874. Mr. An- drew Blair was president during the year 1875, he was also elected by the as- sociation as superintendent of the Mission Sunday-school. Mr. Samuel Coyle was elected and served the association as its president from 1876 until his death which occurred August 23, 1879, when Rev. William Halbert was chosen president serving until within a short time of his death, in March, 1881. In October, 1879, the association again rented and furnished rooms in the Patton building, northwest corner of West High and North Pitt Streets. The Mis- sion Chapel was sold to Mr. Andrew Blair in December, 1880, for the sum of $500. In March, 1881, Mr. A. A. Line was elected president of the associa- tion, serving until January, 1883. In April, 1881, the association moved into the Given building, located on Church avenue, north of West High street. December 5, 1881, the following resolution was passed by the association: That Allan A. Line, president, Harry Wetzel, Levi Brenneman, Reuben Brubaker and Charles E. Eckels, members of the executive committee, and W. Scott Coyle, treasurer, and Mirvin McMillen, recording secretary, are hereby author- ized and directed to sign the application of the court of common pleas for a charter of incorporation of this association under the corporate name of "The Young Men's Christian Association of Carlisle, Pennsylvania." The boys' work was established in the fall of 1882, when weekly entertainments were held for them, consisting of talks of travel, chemical experiments on scientific subjects, magic lantern entertainments, etc. In November, 1882, the association with the assistance of W. A. Bowen, assistant State secretary of Pennsylvania, raised a subscription of $1,000 to meet the current expenses of the association for the coming year, including the employment of a competent general secretary to have charge and oversight of the entire work of the asso- ciation, the maintaining of a free reading room, and the general enlargement of the work. Mr. David R. Thompson was elected president of the associa- tion for 1883. Prof. J. A. McKnight of Pennsylvania, was chosen as general secretary to the association, at a salary of $50 per month. He took charge of the association January 25, 1883.

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Author: Publication date: Publisher: W. Taylor Number of Pages: 1280

Author:
Publication date:
Publisher: W. Taylor
Number of Pages: 1280