History 204 Sp 08

History 204 Sp 08 | Political Life | Cultural Life | Economic Life | Essays of 1876

Cumberland County is located in south central Pennsylvania and was established in 1750, one year before the founding of Carlisle. In 1870, Cumberland County had a population of 43,912. In 1880, it was 45,997. In Cumberland County the white population was 43,807 and the black population was 2,167 in 1880. The Japanese population was three. There were 2,983 farms in Cumberland County whose total value including farms, including land, fences, and buildings equaled $19,776,980.

In Cumberland County, Pennsylvania lies Carlisle, situated at 40*12' North Longitude and 77*10’ West Latitude, 18 miles west of Harrisburg. Carlisle is the third oldest borough in Cumberland County after York and Shippensburg and is the oldest town in Pennsylvania west of Susquehanna. The town was established in 1750 and officially laid out in 1751. It derives its name from the town of Carlisle in Cumberland County, England. In the nineteenth century the town was supplied with pure limestone water from the reservoir on Conodoguinet Creek. In the year 1870, the population of Carlisle was 6,650. In 1880, the population of Carlisle was 6,209. In the year 1876 Carlisle performed its own centennial celebration, 125 miles west of the national centennial celebration in Philadelphia.

The purpose of this wiki is to provide an academic perspective of Carlisle and Cumberland County in 1876. This year not only represents the celebratory aspect of nation’s centennial but it also exemplifies a time when the scars from the Civil War were beginning to fade in the county. It represents a period in which America, and more specifically Carlisle, was on the cusp of major transitions. Our goal is to provide a "snapshot" of Political Life, culture, and economics at this moment and through a series of essays on specific facets of each section to covey what life in 1876 Carlisle would have been like.