Churchtown
Churchtown in Monroe Township in Cumberland County was known as “Allen” for 136 years.1 Some current residents persist in using the Churchtown name while others prefer to use Allen.
The Cumberland County Historical Encyclopedia is an expanding publication on the history of the Cumberland County. Covering a wide range of topics and the entire Cumberland County geographic region, the Encyclopedia seeks to be an initial entry point to those interested in the County's history. Entries seek to provide a list of resources available as well as showcasing some of the Cumberland County Historical Society's own collections.
Churchtown in Monroe Township in Cumberland County was known as “Allen” for 136 years.1 Some current residents persist in using the Churchtown name while others prefer to use Allen.
Churchtown, a village in Monroe Township (originally in Allen Township) is located 6 miles from Carlisle, about 2 ½ miles from Boiling Springs, and 5 ½ miles from Mechanicsburg. The center of the village is crossed by Old Stone House Road and Rt. 174.
OFFICERS
Henry J. Biddle, William B. Blaney, James S. Colwell, George W. Comfort
In 1933, the newly elected president, Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated a variety of steps to deal with the drastic effects of the Great Depression. Collectively these initiatives were known as the “New Deal.” One of those efforts was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, James Colwell and his wife Ann were living in Carlisle, Pa.
On Saturday, March 30, 1822, Gilson Craighead, a prosperous South Middleton Township farmer and mill owner, went to Carlisle for the day with his son Major James. They would both be dead within a week.
Thomas Craighead’s slave Venus: Sister of the first published American Negro poet Phillis Wheatley. T.C. was Thomas Craighead (1789-1865) the son of John Craighead and his wife Jane Lamb. The “old Thomas Craighead” he refers to in his letter was his grandfather who died in 1807. In 1845, T.C. also contributed a history of incidents relating to his family that was published in I.D. Rupp’s History of Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry Counties…. p. 440-444.
On January 27, 1749/1750, the General Assembly of Pennsylvania created Cumberland County from Lancaster County in an Act titled “An Act for erecting part of the province of Pennsylvania, westward of Susquehanna, and northward and westward of York, into a county.”1 Theories differ as to
Patrick Culp, a mulatto, and the only documented African American cabinetmaker in Cumberland County, was born in Pennsylvania in 1790. A member of Allison United Methodist Church1 and later St.
Horses were vital for transportation and farming, and horse stealing was a chronic problem. In the nineteenth century, horse thief detection and protection societies were formed in many states.