Mechanicsburg Area School District history

1801 George Frankenberger applied for and received a license to operate a tavern.

In 1804, Frankenberger purchased an additional 26 acres.

1807 Henry Stauffer built his house on a large tract of land that is now the center of town.

1808 The Kinsey family built a home at the corner of Locust and Frederick Streets.

April, 1812 John Gusweiler gave land to build a school on the northeast corner of Walnut and Simpson Street.

1818 John Coover built the home at Frederick and Main Streets.

April 12, 1828 The State Assembly at Harrisburg passed the Act of Incorporation "to erect the Town of Mechanicsburg, in the County of Cumberland, into a Borough." Mechanicsburg is located 8 miles west of Harrisburg and 10 miles east of Carlisle, the county seat.

April 2, 1831 The Legislature passed an act to provide for the incorporation of the Cumberland Valley Railroad.

1835 Professor McCron started first public school in the basement of the Methodist Church.

1840 A "select school" was established by F.M.L. Gillelen.

1855 Keystone Coronet Band founded

1858 Borough patrol was formed and a small jail called "the lockup" was built behind Washington Hall.

1859 Girls were admitted to Cumberland Valley Institute.

1860's CVRR passenger station, Stationmaster's house, and portion of the freight station were built.

1862 The first concrete pavement in town was laid in front of Union Church.

1866 Franklin Hall was built as borough hall.

According to an article in History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, the students of Shiremanstown were educated in a “large, commodious brick school house built in 1868 by Lower Allen Township.”

1872 A two story school was built at Simpson and High Streets.

1873 Dillsburg Branch of the Cumberland Valley Railroad at Trindle Spring was built.

The final ruling of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued in 1879 ruled that Lower Allen did not need to reimburse Shiremanstown the $72.50 that the Shiremanstown School Board felt was illegally withheld as their part of the state subsidy.

July 26, 1888 The Rescue Hook and Ladder Company was founded.

1903 The Citizen's Fire Company was founded.

1906 The first mention of repairs to the sewer system but no date was found for being installed.

1919 CVRR was merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The borough council approved the purchase of land in June, 1920.

1926 First traffic light at the corner of Main and Markets Streets.

1929 Girls' Intramural sports program began.

1936 Seidle Hospital opened.

1941 First parking meter.

1952 Art Association was founded by a small group of local artists.

1957 Swimming pool opened.

1961 Library was in a house on West Simpson Street.

1963 Olympic pool built at the park.

In 1964, the Mechanicsburg Area School District was created by merging three existing school districts: the Mechanicsburg School District, the Upper Allen School District and the Shiremanstown School District.

1968 Pennsylvania and New York Central merged to form Penn Central Railroad.

1969 The Recreation Board was created.

1970 The Penn Central went bankrupt.