Shippensburg is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

and Franklin counties in the U.S. Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Settled in 1730, Shippensburg lies in the

Cumberland Valley The Cumberland Valley is a northern constituent valley of the Great Appalachian Valley, within the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Appalachian Trail crosses through the valley. Geography The valley is bound t ...

, southwest of

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

, and is part of the

Harrisburg metropolitan area Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

. The population was 5,478 at the 2020 census. Shippensburg was incorporated as a borough on January 21, 1819. In the past, there were furniture factories, engine and pump works, and other industrial works located within the town. Shippensburg is the home of

the Beistle Company The Beistle Company, or simply Beistle, is an American company known for manufacturing holiday decorations and party goods, and particularly known for its catalog of Halloween decorations. Beistle was founded in 1900 in Pennsylvania by Martin Luth ...

, the oldest manufacturer of decorations and party goods in the U.S. In May 2012,

Volvo Construction Equipment Volvo Construction Equipment - Volvo CE - (originally Munktells, Bolinder-Munktell, Volvo BM) is a major international company which develops, manufactures, and markets equipment for construction and related industries. It is a subsidiary and bu ...

began a $100 million expansion project to bring its American headquarters to Shippensburg.

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in the Shippensburg, Pennsylvania area. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers' college ...

, one of 14 universities of the

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is an American state agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that oversees 10 state-owned universities. Collectively, it is the largest provider of higher education in the commonwea ...

, is located just north of the borough limits in Shippensburg Township.

History

Shippensburg is the oldest community of the

, and the second oldest west of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

in Pennsylvania (after

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

to the east). In July 1730, 12 Scots-Irish families came to the site of the present-day Shippensburg and built cabin homes along Burd's Run. Shippensburg began as the western outpost of colonial settlement. The village received its name from

Edward Shippen Edward Shippen (1639 – October 2, 1712) was the second mayor of Philadelphia, although under William Penn's charter of 1701, he was considered the first. Early life Edward was born in Methley, West Yorkshire, to William and Mary, who were ma ...

, a prominent resident of

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

(and onetime mayor of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

) who obtained the patent to the land from the heirs of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

. Edward Shippen's granddaughter,

Peggy Shippen Margaret Shippen (July 11, 1760 – August 24, 1804) was the second wife of General Benedict Arnold. She has been described as "the highest-paid spy in the American Revolution". Shippen was born into a prominent Philadelphia family with Loyalist ...

, was historically notable as the wife of General

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

, who betrayed the Continental Army by defecting to the British during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. In 1735, Samuel Perry built the Widow Piper's Tavern, which stands at the southwest corner of East King Street and Queen Street. This building was selected as the place for the first Cumberland County Courts in 1750 and 1751. The building has been restored and serves today as the home of the Shippensburg Civic Club. On July 9, 1755, Edward Morris, the governor of Shippensburg, ordered that a fort be built after he learned of General Braddock's defeat at the hands of the French and Indians. His intent was to provide protection for the troops and colonists during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. Over the next year, several buildings, a well, and a log

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

were built. Fort Morris was garrisoned until 1759 but preserved for several more years due to the efforts of Edward Shippen. There is also a record that an officer and eighteen provincial troops were stationed in Shippensburg during the winter of 1763–1764. On March 24, 1761, Shippen wrote, "I desire everybody in Shippensburg to take care of ye Fort for I will suffer a log of it to be thrown down on any pretense whatever."Hunter, William Albert. ''Forts on the Pennsylvania Frontier: 1753–1758,'' (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited, 2018
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was founded in 1871 as a normal school. In 2009, a team of archaeologists reported they had discovered the site of Fort Morris on Burd Street. Among the artifacts found were pottery, coins, buttons, musket balls, flints and musket parts. Some of these artifacts are housed in Shearer Hall on the Shippensburg University campus, while others are currently on display at the Shippensburg Historical Society. The Shippensburg Historic District, Dykeman's Spring, the Benjamin Blythe Homestead, Cumberland Valley State Normal School Historic District, the Shippen House, and Widow Piper's Tavern are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Shippensburg is located in south-central Pennsylvania primarily in Cumberland County, but extending west into Franklin County.

U.S. Route 11 U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...

passes through the center of town as King Street; US 11 leads northeast to

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

, the Cumberland County seat, and southwest to

Chambersburg Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Ma ...

, the Franklin County seat. Pennsylvania Route 696 leads north out of Shippensburg as Earl Street and south as Fayette Street. Via PA 696, it is north to Newburg and south to Exit 24 on

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

. Pennsylvania Route 533 leads west out of town as Morris Street, to Orrstown. Pennsylvania Route 174 (Walnut Bottom Road) split east from US 11 at the east edge of the borough, leading to Exit 29 on Interstate 81 and to the village of Walnut Bottom in South Newton Township. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the borough of Shippensburg has a total area of , of which , or 0.18%, is water. Gum Run flows through the center of town, entering from the south and becoming Middle Spring Creek, a northward-flowing tributary of Conodoguinet Creek and part of the

watershed. Outside the town, the area consists of mostly field and pasture, some forest, few streams and water holes.

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,586 people, 2,397 households, and 1,138 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,602 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 94.16%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.44%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.47% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population. There were 2,397 households, out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.5% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87. In the borough the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 28.5% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $27,660, and the median income for a family was $39,896. Males had a median income of $29,387 versus $21,775 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $14,816. About 9.4% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Festivals

Yearly, in the last full week of July, the Shippensburg Community Fair is held. Begun in 1958, the fair bills itself as Pennsylvania's largest bi-county fair. The fair includes agricultural exhibits, a craft show, food vendors, and carnival rides amongst other things. Every summer on the last Saturday of August, Shippensburg holds the Corn Festival, an event that brings regional artisans and vendors to operate stands downtown. The downtown is closed to traffic for at least 5 blocks for most of the day. Average attendance at the festival is estimated at 60,000 - 70,000 each year. In 2021, the Corn Festival was held at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds.

Education

The borough is served by the Shippensburg Area School District.

is in the area, with a portion of the university property in the borough.

Notable people

* Sujatha Baliga, Director of the Restorative Justice Project and MacArthur Fellow *

Andy Enfield Andrew William Enfield (born June 8, 1969) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at SMU Mustangs men's basketball, Southern Methodist University. He came to national prominence as head coach at Florida Gulf Coast ...

, head men's basketball coach,

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

* John Hamilton, starred as Perry White on the '' Adventures of Superman'' TV series of the 1950s * Thomas "Doc" Martin, historic physician of Taos, New MexicoTwitchell, Ralph Emerson. ''The Leading Facts of New Mexican History'', vol. 4, p. 463. Torch Press, 1917. * William W. McCammon, Medal of Honor recipient from the American Civil War. * Andrew G. Miller (1811–1880) Pennsylvania State Senator from 1869 to 1871. * Edward Shippen III, mayor of Philadelphia, founding member of Princeton University *

Samuel D. Sturgis Samuel Davis Sturgis (June 11, 1822 – September 28, 1889) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army. A veteran of the Mexican–American War, Mexican War, American Civil War, Civil War, and American Indian Wars, I ...

, Union Army general and namesake of Sturgis, South Dakota.

References

External links

Shippensburg Borough official website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1730 Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area Boroughs in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Boroughs in Franklin County, Pennsylvania 1730 establishments in Pennsylvania Scotch-Irish American culture in Pennsylvania