Homes and churches for the rising middle class
The elegant interiors and ornate facades of Victorian-era homes provided visible proof of the newfound wealth of Mechanicsburg's leading bankers, merchants and businessmen. With their financial support -- along with that of their working-class neighbors, living in more modest brick and wood-frame houses -- Main Street churches (below) were established to meet the spiritual needs of the entire community.
Ralston houseThis home at 220 West Main Street was built around 1872 by James Ralston, described only as a wealthy "gentleman" from a prominent Cumberland County family. It was located on a nine-acre property originally owned by Lewis Zearing, a veteran of the War of 1812 who became a saddle maker and was elected the first borough president in 1828. The land later passed to James Dunlap (a county judge and state representative), and then to Ralston. The house typifies the Second Empire style, which altered the Italianate with a more symmetrical design and the addition of a mansard roof and dormers.
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Orris and Eberly housesThe matching Orris and Eberly houses, at 316 and 318 West Main Street, were built in Second Empire style between 1889-91. Their owners, Adam Orris and Austin Eberly, were partners in the Eberly & Orris Wheel Works. Founded in 1850, the company was a leading manufacturer of wheels for horse-drawn vehicles -- including Civil War guns and carriages -- and grew to become one of the largest industries in turn-of-the-century Mechanicsburg. The Eberly house has undergone extensive alterations; the Orris house has been carefully adapted for use as a bed-and-breakfast.
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Union Church (and Washington Fire Company)The oldest public building in Mechanicsburg is Union Church, at 51 East Main Street. It was built in 1825, on a half-acre parcel of land sold by Martin Rupp for a token $90. It provided a temporary worship space for various religious denominations moving into the area, until their congregations had grown to the point where they could support their own individual churches. (Before 1825, traveling preachers conducted services in private homes.) In 1835, after the state mandated elementary education for children, a small two-story schoolhouse known as Union School was erected behind the church. A quaint reminder of Mechanicsburg's religious heritage, the Union Church is preserved today through the generous support of its trustees, proprietors and the community at large. It is open to the public during Jubilee Day and other special events.
■ In 1860 the recently formed Washington Fire Company built Washington Hall on the rest of the former Rupp plot, at 53 East Main Street. Washington Hall served not only as a fire station, but also as a dance hall and public meeting place. A third floor was removed in 1907, and the front door was enlarged in 1958 to accommodate modern firefighting equipment. Behind the fire house you can see the bell that once hung atop Irving College, as well as a cast-iron water fountain that stood in front of the old town hall from 1907 until its demolition in 1926. |
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Trinity Evangelical Lutheran ChurchAfter initially meeting in Union Church, the congregation which became known as Trinity Evangelical Lutheran was officially organized in 1852. Its first church, a wooden building at 25 East Main Street, was replaced in 1859 by the current structure at 132 East Main Street. The innovation of electric light was incorporated in 1896, followed by central steam heat in 1899. In 1908 the tall original steeple was replaced by a dome-shaped belfry; the latter was in turn replaced by the current, shorter steeple.
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First Church of GodMembers of the First Church of God also met originally in Union Church. Their first, wood-frame church was erected at 28 East Main Street in 1845. It was razed and replaced by the current structure in 1867. SInce then the church has been remodeled and enlarged several times.
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