State Police School
Newville, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The Pennsylvania State Police Training School, first of its kind in the nation, was established here in 1920 at the old Big Spring Hotel, which stood nearby. In 1923 the location of the school was transferred to Hershey, in Dauphin County.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1920, at the old Big Spring Hotel near Newville, Pennsylvania opened what this marker calls the first state police training academy in the nation—a milestone in the professionalization of American law enforcement in the Progressive era. Recruits drilled in a paramilitary style that would become a model for other states. Just three years later the school moved east to Hershey in Dauphin County, and the pioneering Cumberland County site passed into history.
Why it matters
It marks the birthplace of formal, standardized police training in the United States, a turning point in how states organized public safety in the twentieth century.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Appalachian Trail Museum10.6 mi away
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Themes & tags
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