Chambersburg Area
Chambersburg's settlement began in 1730 when water mills were built at the confluence of Conococheague Creek and Falling Spring Creek that now run through the center of the town. Its history includes episodes related to the French and Indian War, the Whiskey Rebellion, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, and the American Civil War. The borough was the only major northern community burned down by Confederate forces during the war.
History
Native Americans living or hunting in the area during the 18th
century included the Iroquois, Lenape and Shawnee. "Falling Spring" was
first settled by Benjamin Chambers, a Scots-Irish immigrant, in 1730,
who started a grist mill and saw mill by a then-26-foot (7.9 m) high
waterfall where Falling Spring Creek joined Conococheague Creek. The
creek provided power to the mills, and the settlement was known as
"Falling Spring."
On March 30, 1734, Chambers was issued a "Blunston license" for
400 acres (1.6 km2), from a representative of the Penn family, but
European settlement in the area was of questionable legality until the
treaty ending the French and Indian War, because not all Indian tribes
with land claims had signed treaties. The Penn family encouraged
settlement in the area in order to strengthen its case in a border
dispute with the Maryland Colony, which had resulted in hostilities
known as Cresap's War. This dispute was not settled until 1767 and the
surveying of the border known as the Mason-Dixon line. Chambers traveled
to England to testify in support of Penn's claims. To maintain peace
with the Indians, European settlers were sometimes removed from the
nearby area. In May 1750, Benjamin Chambers participated in removing
settlers from nearby Burnt Cabins, which took its name from the
incident.
The area was officially part of Chester County, then Lancaster,
and then Cumberland until it became part of the newly established
Franklin County in 1784.
The Great Wagon Road connecting Philadelphia with the Shenandoah
Valley passed nearby. In 1744, it was completed through Harris's Ferry,
Carlisle, Shippensburg, and Chambersburg to the Potomac River.
In 1748 a local militia was formed for protection against Indians, with Benjamin Chambers being named colonel.
Chambersburg was on the frontier during the French and Indian
War. The area's population dropped from about 3,000 in 1755 at the start
of the war to about 300, with most settlers not returning until after
1764 when the peace treaty was signed. Benjamin Chambers built a private
stone fort during the war, which was equipped with two 4 pounder
cannons and fighting occurred nearby. Because Chambers's fort was
otherwise lightly defended, the authorities attempted to remove the
cannons to prevent them from being captured by Indians and used against
other forts. The attempted removal was unsuccessful, and one of the
cannons was used to celebrate Independence Day in 1840.[18] The Forbes
Road and other trails going to Fort Pitt passed nearby as well. The
Forbes Road developed into part of the main road connecting Pittsburg
and Philadelphia, and much later into US 30, and Chambersburg developed
as a transportation hub at the crossroads of Forbes Road and the Great
Wagon Road.
Fighting continued in the area after the war, most notably the
Enoch Brown school massacre during Pontiac's Rebellion and the Black
Boys rebellion against British troops at Fort Loudon.
The first settlers were Scots-Irish Presbyterians and German
Protestants came soon afterward. Quakers and English Protestants, who
made up a large proportion of early Pennsylvania settlers, did not often
move as far west as Chambersburg. Blacks lived in Chambersburg almost
from the start of settlement. Benjamin Chambers owned a black female
slave sometime before the French and Indian War and twenty slaves were
recorded as taxable property in 1786.
The earliest church was established by Scots-Irish Presbyterians
in 1734. Chambers gave land to the congregation in 1768, requiring only a
single rose as annual rent. Later land was given to the First Lutheran
Church (1780) and Zion Reformed Church (organized in 1780) under the
same agreement, and these churches came to be known as the "Rose Rent
Churches." A Catholic community organized in 1785. The Jewish cemetery
dates back to 1840. The Mt. Moriah First African Baptist Church dates to
1887.
The town was first laid out in 1764, and lots were advertised for
sale on July 19 in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette In June
1775, soon after the Battle of Lexington, local troops were raised to
fight the British in the American Revolution under the command of
Benjamin Chambers's eldest son Captain James Chambers, as part of the
1st Pennsylvania Regiment.[25] These troops were among the first non-New
Englanders to join the siege of Boston, arriving on August 7, 1775.
James Chambers fought for seven years during the revolution, reaching
the rank of Colonel of Continental troops on September 26, 1776. His two
brothers, William and Benjamin, Jr., each served for much of the war
and reached the rank of Captain. James Chambers commanded local troops
at the Battle of Long Island, and at White Plains, Trenton, Princeton,
Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth. He was part of the rear guard
covering the retreat from Brooklyn, and was wounded at the Battle of
Brandywine while facing Hessian troops under General Knuphausen at
Chadds Ford.
During the Whiskey Rebellion, local citizens raised a liberty
pole in support of the rebels, and to protest conscription of soldiers
to put down the rebellion. Nevertheless, these citizens were censured in
a town meeting and removed the pole the next day. President George
Washington, while leading United States troops against the rebels, came
through town on the way from Carlisle to Bedford, staying overnight on
October 12, 1794. According to tradition, Washington lodged with Dr.
Robert Johnson, a surgeon in the Pennsylvania line during the
Revolution. This march was one of only two times that a sitting
president personally commanded the military in the field. (The other was
after President James Madison fled the British occupation of
Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.) After sending the troops
toward Pittsburgh from Bedford under General Henry "Light Horse Harry"
Lee, Washington returned through Chambersburg sometime between October
21–26. James Chambers was appointed a Brigadier General of Militia
during the Whiskey Rebellion.
Chambersburg was incorporated on March 21, 1803, and declared the
County Seat when the State Assembly established a formal government.
The first courthouse was John Jack's tavern on the Diamond (town square)
in 1784, with a permanent courthouse built in 1793, and the first
county jail built 1795. The "Old Jail" was built in 1818, survived the
fire of 1864 and is the oldest jail building in Pennsylvania. It was
originally used as the sheriff's residence and had the longest
continuous use of any jail in the state, operating until 1971. Today the
Old Jail is a museum and home to the Franklin County - Kittochtinny
Historical Society. The county's gallows still stand in the jail's
courtyard.
Much of the town's growth was due to its position as a
transportation center, first as the starting point on the Forbes Road to
Pittsburgh. The U.S. Congress placed Chambersburg on the
Philadelphia-Pittsburgh postal road in 1803. The road was rebuilt as the
Chambersburg-Bedford Turnpike in 1811. The Cumberland Valley Railroad
was built in 1837 and was the area's center of economic activity for
nearly 100 years. Until the completion of the Pennsylvania Railroad's
main line in 1857, the fastest route from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia was
by stagecoach from Pittsburgh to Chambersburg, and then by train to
Philadelphia.
Attractions & Activities
The Old Jail
built in 1818, was one of the few buildings to survive the
burning of Chambersburg by Confederate Forces in 1864. This place was
also a stop on the underground railroad. Tours are available.
Chambersburg Heritage Center
An interpretive center for Franklin County, located in a
renovated 1915 marble bank building. Learn about American Indian
tribes, the Civil War, transportation history and more.
Majestic Ridge Golf Course
Opened in April of 1993, Majestic Ridge Golf Club is an
18 hole championship design. The architect, David Horn, created this
6800 yard layout from the rolling hills of south central Pennsylvania.
The golf course gets its name from the scenic beauty of the nearby
Tuscarora mountains and the endless breathtaking views from the
surrounding countryside.
Cluggy’s Family Amusement Center
Your one stop fun provider for the family in Chambersburg
offering mini golf, go karts, batting cages arcades, snack café and
catering birthday parties
Parks & Recreation
http://www.borough.chambersburg.pa.us/rec_dep/#
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