Ritner Highway

A Year in the Life of a Village: Oakville 1910

Main Street in Oakville, PA, looking south.

It was a good day for Shippensburg photographer Clyde Laughlin to take photographs of Oakville because there were no leaves on the trees. Mr. Laughlin produces post cards from the photos he takes of the towns and villages of Cumberland County. His camera captures a horse and buggy traveling towards him on Main Street, and the two young boys who are peering over a fence watching what he is doing. The white-washed Rail Road Crossing sign post warns people to Stop, Look, Listen.

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.

South Newton Township

Photo of Big Pond Furnace at South Mountain, PA circa 1915

Newton Township first appeared in Cumberland county tax records in 1773 although it was organized by 1767.[1] In 1929, Newton divided into North Newton and South Newton Townships.[2] The early settlers in the area were Scots-Irish but German families began to move in toward the end of the 18th century.[3] By the time the township had formed, most of the land had been taken up and the area had a settled population.[4]

West Pennsboro Township

Conodoguinet Creek, Heishman's Mill, near West Hill.

The recorded history of West Pennsboro Township began in 1735 when it was part of Pennsborough, one of two original townships in the North Valley. This preceded the formation of the county by fifteen years. By 1745, Pennsborough had divided into East and West Pennsboro. In the following years, the township boundaries changed as the population increased and the townships subdivided even more.