Shippensburg

The Shippensburg borough lives in two Pennsylvania counties, mostly in Cumberland but also in Franklin. In 1730, twelve Scots-Irish families traveled the Virginia Path Indian trail (now U.S. Route 11) from the Susquehanna River through the Cumberland Valley and settled in the area that now stands at the center of the borough.¹ In 1737 Edward Shippen of Lancaster obtained the patent for 1,312 acres of land on which the borough now resides. In 1749, Shippen laid out the town and made lots available for sale.² The town was named for him.

Shippensburg is the oldest community in Cumberland County and the second oldest in Pennsylvania (after York) west of the Susquehanna River.³ In 1750, Cumberland County was formed with Shippensburg as the county seat. The Widow Piper’s Tavern in town was selected in 1750 and 1751 to serve as the first location for a court in Cumberland County.⁴

Borough history includes the French and Indian War. After General Braddock’s defeat, Edward Morris (then governor of Pennsylvania) ordered that a fort be built.⁵ The location of Fort Morris, as it was named, has been the subject of considerable speculation through the years. In 2009, an archaeological study finally determined the probable site with the discovery of a large number of artifacts.⁶

The earliest church in the area is the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church which dates to 1738 and which remains active. In 1753, a German Reformed Church was founded.⁷

With the end of the French and Indian War, Shippensburg became the starting point for settlers moving west across the Appalachian Mountains. This, in turn, produced business and industry for the town because of the need for carpenters, wagon-makers, blacksmiths, etc. to supply the needs of the travelers.⁸

In the years that followed, Shippensburg flourished along with the rest of the nation. The town supplied troops for the wars from the Revolution to current conflicts. Businesses of all sorts came and went. In the past, they numbered a fish farm, blacksmiths, furniture factories, brick yards, grist mills, gunsmiths, wagon shops, carriage and buggy factory, clothing manufacturers, tannery. In the present, woodworking, clothing and furniture manufacturing, textiles, all are part of the Shippensburg scene.⁹ Of special note is the Beistle Company which produces paper novelties for world-wide sale and the Volvo Construction Equipment factory in Franklin County.

Among the men who served in the military was Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, the only Shippensburg general. His son, Richard, served with Custer and died at Little Big Horn. But the name remains because Sturgis, South Dakota, home of a motorcycle rally that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to that small town annually, was named for Richard Sturgis.¹⁰

The Shippensburg population grew through the years. In 2010, official statistics affirmed a population of 5,542. The borough has fluctuated around that number for the last sixty years.¹¹

Shippensburg today may be best known for its university. The school officially dates its origin from 1871 when the Cumberland Valley State Normal School opened its doors to students. In 1927, it became the State Teachers College at Shippensburg. In the 1960s, the word “teachers” was removed and it became Shippensburg State College because a liberal arts program was added to the curriculum. In 1983, the name Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania became the official title. Shippensburg University is part of Pennsylvania’s state university system.¹²