Take a walk down Main Street . . .
And explore the hidden past of Mechanicsburg!
"It seems like all important events have avoided our community." So said a socialite living in Mechanicsburg in the 1920s. Even today this Cumberland County town seems like a quaint oasis, isolated from the highways, shopping malls and suburban housing developments that surround it.
Life in Mechanicsburg has rarely been dramatic. But the town has always been connected to major currents in American life. That connection is still evident today, along a historic 14-block stretch of Main Street. You may have driven down the street many times -- probably on the way to somewhere else! This website invites you to stop and look around. You'll discover fascinating reminders of a colorful past -- and through them, gain a better understanding of the workaday present.
The buildings along Main Street represent four broad themes that emerged in a growing nineteenth-century America. Click on each picture to learn more.
Life in Mechanicsburg has rarely been dramatic. But the town has always been connected to major currents in American life. That connection is still evident today, along a historic 14-block stretch of Main Street. You may have driven down the street many times -- probably on the way to somewhere else! This website invites you to stop and look around. You'll discover fascinating reminders of a colorful past -- and through them, gain a better understanding of the workaday present.
The buildings along Main Street represent four broad themes that emerged in a growing nineteenth-century America. Click on each picture to learn more.
Commerce energizes a new nation
Built in 1801, the Frankeberger Tavern is the oldest building in Mechanicsburg. It was a welcome rest stop on the commercial "highway" that linked Cumberland Valley farms with the thriving canal and river port of Harrisburg. As Mechanicsburg grew as a center of trade and business activity, new commercial buildings appeared: stores, banks, hotels. Although their function over the years may have changed, some still remain in use today.
Railroads tie the country together
The Cumberland Valley Rail Road was one link in a vast transportation network that spread across America in the mid-1800s, revolutionizing the economy and bringing a better standard of living to millions. Mechanicsburg was an important stop on the CVRR. The Mechanicsburg Museum Association has lovingly preserved the old freight station, passenger station and stationmaster's house.
Education for women progresses
The nineteenth century saw a gradual expansion of educational opportunities for women, as they moved from strictly domestic work into new careers in teaching and business. Mechanicsburg was a pioneer in this trend, with the establishment of Irving Female College -- Pennsylvania's first degree-granting women's college -- in 1856. The two main classroom and dormitory buildings survive as apartment buildings at the eastern edge of town.
Life improves for the middle class
Economic growth brought prosperity and material well-being to many Americans. Their success was reflected in large Victorian-style homes that sprang up on Main Streets throughout the country. In Mechanicsburg, many of these architectural gems are still standing. So too are some of the churches of that era, which brought community feeling and spiritual comfort to a broad spectrum of society.
■ This website was developed by Kevin Koons and John Maietta in conjunction with their graduate work in Applied History at Shippensburg University (Dr. John Bloom, faculty advisor). Please email your comments to: [email protected].
■ Following are the main resources we consulted in building the site. All are available for study at the Mechanicsburg Museum Association, whose assistance we gratefully acknowledge.
______, "Mechanicsburg Historic Research Survey of 1982." Mechanicsburg Landmarks and Preservation Committee.
______, "National Register of Historic Places Inventory: Mechanicsburg (Other Than Historical District)." Cumberland County Historical Society.
______, Post Cards of Mechanicsburg. Mechanicsburg Museum Association, 2003.
Brunhouse, Robert, Miniatures of Mechanicsburg. J.A. Bushman Co., Inc., 1928.
Keefer, Norman, A History of Mechanicsburg and the Surrounding Area. Mechanicsburg Area Historical Committee, 1976.
Reppert, Byron, Mechanicsburg. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
Van Dolsen, Nancy, Cumberland County: An Architectural Survey. Cumberland County Historical Society, 1990.
Williams, Eva, Tower Homes of Mechanicsburg. Mechanicsburg Museum Association, 1988.
■ Following are the main resources we consulted in building the site. All are available for study at the Mechanicsburg Museum Association, whose assistance we gratefully acknowledge.
______, "Mechanicsburg Historic Research Survey of 1982." Mechanicsburg Landmarks and Preservation Committee.
______, "National Register of Historic Places Inventory: Mechanicsburg (Other Than Historical District)." Cumberland County Historical Society.
______, Post Cards of Mechanicsburg. Mechanicsburg Museum Association, 2003.
Brunhouse, Robert, Miniatures of Mechanicsburg. J.A. Bushman Co., Inc., 1928.
Keefer, Norman, A History of Mechanicsburg and the Surrounding Area. Mechanicsburg Area Historical Committee, 1976.
Reppert, Byron, Mechanicsburg. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
Van Dolsen, Nancy, Cumberland County: An Architectural Survey. Cumberland County Historical Society, 1990.
Williams, Eva, Tower Homes of Mechanicsburg. Mechanicsburg Museum Association, 1988.