Civil War Experiences of the Faller Brothers
John and Leo Faller were brothers from Carlisle Pa. who served in the same unit during the war. Their letters to family members provide excellent insight into the thoughts of a typical soldier.
Browse Encyclopedia
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.
Fire in Lisburn village on July 29, 1841
The village of Lisburn is located in the eastern portion of Cumberland County in a loop of the Yellow Breeches Creek and is bounded by York County. An iron forge was established there before the Revolution and a mill in the 1780s.
First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Carlisle, PA
The Carlisle Borough Charter claims that the First Lutheran Church began about 1765 when the German immigrants of Reformed and Lutheran church background worshiped together in a union church on South Hanover Street near South Street.1 In 1807, the church divided and the Lutherans built
First Lutheran Church and the Chippendale Sofa
Sometime around 1890, members of Carlisle’s First Lutheran Church decided to create a ladies’ parlor, and one of their members donated a sofa to furnish it.
Tom Flagg
Regardless of his varied titles of printer, publisher, editor, attorney or federal agent, Tom Flagg was best known about the county as a “character”.
Flitting Day
April 1 was known as “flitting day” in Pennsylvania. It was the day when yearly leases expired, and tenant farmers, businessmen, mechanics and private citizens either renewed their leases for another year and “stayed put,” or they moved. Local newspapers usually ran a column or two about the “flittings,” noting the changes in location of hotel keepers and businessmen, and musing on the day in general. The editor of Carlisle’s American Volunteer waxed emotional about “flitting day” in his column on April 5, 1866.
Lenore E. Flower
Lenore E. Flower, notable genealogist and suffragette, was born on November 8th, 1883. The daughter of Mary Elizabeth Dunbar and Milton Embick, Lenore grew up in Boiling Springs. She studied writing and history at Irving College, an all-girls college located in Mechanicsburg.
George W. Foland’s Phoenix Restaurant and Bowling Saloon
In August 1859, Jacob Rheem held the Grand Opening of his new Hall in Carlisle located behind the Courthouse on Courthouse Avenue.
David Shriver Forney (1787-1839): Tanner
Tanner David S. Forney was born on November 4, 1787 to Adam Forney and his wife Rachel Shriver. David’s father Adam, a tanner, was an early settler in the Hanover, Pennsylvania area. When David was young, according to his daughter Mary Roland, he worked “in a leather store in Baltimore.
Frankford Township
While not one of the earliest municipal components of Cumberland County, Frankford Township dates back to the 18th century. It was created from West Pennsboro Township in April of 1795, by the County Court. The court records tell us: