Shippensburg - PLAQUE
Shippensburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Settled about 1733. Laid out and named for Edward Shippen, 1703-1781, merchant, mayor and justice of Philadelphia, later a resident of Lancaster, paymaster in the Forbes Expedition, a founder and trustee of Princeton University. Grandson of Edward Shippen (1639-1712) who was the host of William Penn, mayor and merchant of Philadelphia, speaker of the assembly, president of the provincial council and chief justice of Pennsylvania.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Settled about 1733, this Cumberland Valley town was laid out and named for Edward Shippen, a Philadelphia merchant and mayor who later served as a paymaster in the Forbes Expedition against Fort Duquesne and helped found what became Princeton University. He came from a prominent colonial family; his grandfather of the same name had hosted William Penn and risen to chief justice of Pennsylvania. The town grew as a frontier gateway into the valley beyond.
Why it matters
Shippensburg's founding traces the westward push of settlement into Pennsylvania's frontier and the far-reaching influence of the merchant families who shaped the young colony.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Appalachian Trail Museum11.3 mi away
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Related people
- · Edward Shippen
- · William Penn
Related events
- · Forbes Expedition
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Old Court House
Shippensburg, PA · est. 1947
Before Carlisle was chosen as the county seat, justice in the Cumberland frontier was dispensed at 'Widow Piper's Tavern' in Shippensburg, which hosted the county's court sessions in 1750 and 1751. Taverns often doubled as the civic centers of early settlements, serving as courtroom, meeting hall, and lodging all at once. The building endures today as the home of the Shippensburg Civic Club.
One-Room Schoolhouse
Shippensburg Township, PA · est. 1970
The Mount Jackson, or Potato Point, School was first built in 1865 as one of the countless one-room schoolhouses where a single teacher taught children of every age. Faithfully reconstructed and moved to this site in 1969 by alumni and friends of Shippensburg State College, it preserves a vanishing form of American schooling. Such schools were the backbone of rural education for generations.
Shippensburg
Shippensburg Township, PA · est. 1948
Edward Shippen laid out Shippensburg in 1730, planting one of the earliest English towns west of the Susquehanna River on what was then the raw edge of colonial Pennsylvania. As settlement pushed inland, the town became an important stopping point on the frontier and briefly served as the seat of newly formed Cumberland County, hosting its first courts in 1750-51 before the seat moved on. Second only to Carlisle in age among towns in the region, it anchored the advance of settlers into the Cumberland Valley.
Shippensburg
Southampton Township, PA · est. 1948
Founded in 1730 by Edward Shippen, this settlement became one of the earliest towns on Pennsylvania's colonial frontier and the second oldest west of the Susquehanna River. Its importance was such that when Cumberland County was organized, its first courts convened here in 1750-51 before a permanent seat was chosen. For early travelers and traders, Shippensburg was a vital waypoint on the edge of European settlement.