Headnote

Carlisle, Pa., c. h. Cumberland co. 15 miles W. by S. from Harrisburg, on the Cumberland Valley Railroad, which extends from Harrisburg through this place to Chambersburg. It is regularly laid out, with a spacious public square in the "centre, and wide streets crossing each other at right angles. It is well built, mostly with brick and stone. It has 9 or 10 churches. Dickinson College is located here, and its buildings occupy a commanding situation in the W. part of the village. About half a mile from the village are the United States barracks, built in 1777, chiefly by the Hessians captured at Trenton. The government have established a cavalry school here. (Gazetteer of the United States of America, 1854)

CARLISLE, c.h., p.v., seat of justice of Cumberland co., Pa., 15 ms. w. by s. of Harrisburgh; from W. 103 ms.  Seat of Dickinson College.  Pop. 4,581.  (Fanning's, 1853)

Place Unit Type
City or Town
Containing Unit
Cumberland County, PA

Carlisle, Pennsylvania (Hayward)

Gazetteer/Almanac
Carlisle, Pa., c. h. Cumberland co. 15 miles W. by S. from Harrisburg, on the Cumberland Valley Railroad, which extends from Harrisburg through this place to Chambersburg. It is regularly laid out, with a spacious public square in the "centre, and wide streets crossing each other at right angles. It is well built, mostly with brick and stone. It has 9 or 10 churches. Dickinson College is located here, and its buildings occupy a commanding situation in the W. part of the village. (See Colleges.) About half a mile from the village are the United States barracks, built in 1777, chiefly by the Hessians captured at Trenton. The government have established a cavalry school here. About 4 miles N. are the Carlisle Springs, at which there are good accommodations for visitors. The locality is retired, and surrounded with the beautiful scenery of the Blue Mountain.
John Hayward, Gazetteer of the United States of America… (Philadelphia: James L. Gihon, 1854), 317.
Date Type
After midnight outside Carlisle, General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry is ordered to concentrate on Gettysburg Battles/Soldiers
At dawn, the last Confederate occupiers of Carlisle, Pennsylvania leave the town Battles/Soldiers
At Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, students are leaving for home in large numbers Education/Culture
At Dickinson College, the Junior and Senior classes request the end of term be brought forward Education/Culture
Confederate patrols reach the Perry County line, the northern limit of the Pennsylvania invasion Battles/Soldiers
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Carlisle/Dickinson
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies Dickinsonian
Dickinson College holds annual commencement ceremonies (1858) Dickinsonian
Dickinson College students given a day off classes to attend the local Agricultural Fair Education/Culture
Dickinson College students punished for "smoking out" a classmate from his dormitory room Education/Culture
Dickinson student, John F. Frederick '64, takes another drunken step towards ending his college career Education/Culture
First company of volunteers from Carlisle, Pennsylvania leaves for training, equipment, and service Carlisle/Dickinson
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a public meeting condemns the South and strongly supports the war Carlisle/Dickinson
- In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Confederate troops occupy a town familiar to some of their officers Battles/Soldiers
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Dickinson College holds its annual commencement ceremonies Carlisle/Dickinson
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Dickinson College students are finding it difficult to attend class Education/Culture
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, James Colwell is appointed first lieutenant of the Carlisle Fencibles Carlisle/Dickinson
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Barracks garrison and New York militia units evacuate the town Battles/Soldiers
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Democratic newspaper denounces "Old Abe's War" Carlisle/Dickinson
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Democratic newspaper swings into line in support of the war Carlisle/Dickinson
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Dickinson College faculty discipline a student for "hissing in the Chapel" Education/Culture
In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, two Dickinson College students punished for gun play on campus Education/Culture
In Pennsylvania, a Carlisle courthouse meeting debates the Crittenden Compromise Carlisle/Dickinson
In Pennsylvania, Abraham Lincoln carries largely Democratic Cumberland County Campaigns/Elections
In Pennsylvania, mass Union meeting at the Carlisle courthouse resolves that secession is illegal Carlisle/Dickinson
In Pennsylvania, New York Militia units prepare a defense of Carlisle against the Confederate advance Battles/Soldiers
In Pennsylvania, soldiers from the local barracks and citizens exchange gunfire in the center of Carlisle, leaving two dead. Crime/Disasters
In Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Fencibles are officially mustered in as Pennsylvania Volunteers Carlisle/Dickinson
In Pennsylvania, the Confederate Second Corps begins to pull back to concentrate on Gettysburg Battles/Soldiers
J.D. Frederick, class of 1864, appeals his expulsion from Dickinson College for drunkenness Education/Culture
James Buchanan graduates from Dickinson College Personal
James Miller McKim is born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania Personal
John Cuddy enlists with the 36th Pennsylvania Infantry Battles/Soldiers
John Taylor Cuddy is born near Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle/Dickinson
Local congressman complains to President Johnson that soldiers are being kept from voting in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Campaigns/Elections
Major General W.F. Smith's Union troops arrive in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to an enthusiastic welcome Battles/Soldiers
Moncure Conway enters Dickinson College Personal
Outside of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, raw militia cavalry clash with veteran Confederate horsemen Battles/Soldiers
Roger Taney graduates from Dickinson College Personal
Shells from General J.E.B. Stuart's horse artillery rain down on Carlisle in an evening bombardment Battles/Soldiers
The McClintock Riot takes place in Carlisle, Pennsylvania Legal/Political
The McClintock Riot trial is held in Carlisle, Pennsylvania Legal/Political
- Union garrison at Harpers Ferry burns the Arsenal and withdraws in an overnight march to Pennsylvania Battles/Soldiers
Volunteer Philadelphia Artillery battery, full of distinguished Philadelphians, goes into action at Carlisle Battles/Soldiers
William Miller of Cumberland County disobeys orders and wins the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg Battles/Soldiers
Gettysburg Campaign
Carlisle Indian School
Dickinson College
Residents in 1860
Birthplace of
Burial Place of
Name Type
Ashland Cemetery, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Bixler Building, East High Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Carlisle Deposit Bank, North Hanover Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Colwell House, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Cumberland County Courthouse, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Cumberland County Prison, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Dickinson College Location or Site
Duncan-Stiles House, East High Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Education Hall, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Farmers' Hotel, East High Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
First Lutheran Church, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
German Lutheran Church, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Hitner House, East High Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Irvine Row, East High Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Lincoln Cemetery Memorial Park, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Old Market House, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
St. John's Episcopal Church, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Stephen Duncan House, East High Street, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Union Cemetery, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Volunteer Newspaper Building, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Washington Hotel, Carlisle, PA Location or Site
Date Title
Spencer Fullerton Baird to John James Audubon, June 4, 1840
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “The Fire Companies,” March 26, 1845
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Burning of the Court House,” March 26, 1845
Harrisburg (PA) Democratic Union, “Destructive Fire in Carlisle,” March 26, 1845
John McClintock, "Slavery No. I," Christian Advocate, New York, February 24, 1847
John McClintock, "Slavery No. II," Christian Advocate, New York, March 31, 1847
Entry by John McClintock, June 2, 1847
John McClintock to Edgar B. Wakeman, June 3, 1847
New York Commercial Advertiser, "Riot at Carlisle," June 5, 1847
New York Tribune, "Riot at Carlisle," June 7, 1847
John S. Porter to Robert Emory, June 8, 1847
W. Spry to Robert Emory, June 8, 1847
George Fechtig to Robert Emory, June 9, 1847
Carlisle (PA) Herald, "Tumult and Riot," June 9, 1847
Robert Emory to George Fechtig, June 9, 1847
Otho Norris to Robert Emory, June 9, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, "Alarming Riot," June 10, 1847
James Miller McKim to John McClintock, June 10, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, "Abolitionism," June 10, 1847
John McClintock to Jane McClintock, June 10, 1847
Carlisle (PA) Herald, "To the Board of Trustees," July 10, 1847
George Fechtig to Robert Emory, June 11, 1847
New York Tribune, "The Carlisle Riot," June 12, 1847
John Price Durbin to Robert Emory, June 12, 1847
John Bowen to Robert Emory, June 14, 1847
Providence (RI) Manufacturers and Farmers Journal, "The Slave Riot at Carlisle, Pa.,” June 14, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Judge Hepburn’s Charge,” September 16, 1847
John McClintock to Edgar B. Wakeman, June 16, 1847
Boston (MA) Liberator, “The Slave Riot at Carlisle, Pa.,” June 18, 1847
George Davenport Chenoweth to Robert Emory, June 23, 1847
New York National Anti-Slavery Standard, "The Riot in Carlisle," June 24, 1847
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Death of Mr. Kennedy,” June 30, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Death of Mr. Kennedy,” July 1, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Public Meeting,” July 1, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Public Meeting at Hagerstown,” July 15, 1847
Thomas W. Smith to Robert Emory, July 16, 1847
Thaddeus Stevens to John McClintock, July 20, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Shocking Accident,” August 19, 1847
Harrisburg (PA) Democratic Union, "The Carlisle Riot Case," September 1, 1847
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Judge Hepburn’s Protest,” September 8, 1847
Carlisle (PA) Herald, "Sentence of the Rioters," September 8, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “What the Hagerstown Papers Say,” September 9, 1847
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “A Slave Case,” November 30, 1848
(Bellows Falls) Vermont Chronicle, “Interesting Case,” December 6, 1848
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Get Vaccinated,” December 7, 1848
Charlestown (SC) Mercury, "A Practical Joke," April 13, 1849
Entry by Moncure Daniel Conway, October 2, 1851
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Commencement Exercises,” July 14, 1858
John Hays to Charles Francis Himes, August 18, 1858
John Hays to Charles Francis Himes, June 20, 1859
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “The Alleged Kidnapping,” June 22, 1859
Carlisle (PA) American, “The Kidnappers,” June 22, 1859
Cleveland (OH) Herald, “From Carlisle,” October 25, 1859
Carlisle (PA) American, “Arrest of a Supposed ‘Harper’s Ferry Insurrectionist,’” October 26, 1859
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, "The Slave Insurrection at Harper's Ferry," October 27, 1859
Atchison (KS) Freedom’s Champion, “Capt. Cook – Wrong Man Arrested,” October 29, 1859
Chicago (IL) Press and Tribune, "The Harpers Ferry Insurgent at Carlisle," November 1, 1859
New York Herald, “Rebellion in Dickinson College,” November 23, 1859
Cleveland (OH) Herald, “No Riot,” November 26, 1859
Washington (DC) National Intelligencer, “The Carlisle Kidnapping Case,” December 17, 1859
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Decidedly Wrong,” July 7, 1860
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Commencement Exercises of Dickinson College,” July 13, 1860
Winfield Scott to Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1861
William Willey to Waitman Willey, April 22, 1861
Dickinson College President Herman Johnson Circular Letter, April 24, 1861
William Willey to Waitman Willey, April 29, 1861
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Departure of the Volunteers,” June 7, 1861
James Colwell to Ann Colwell, July 4, 1861
Nannie Colwell to James Colwell, December 15, 1861
Herman Merrills Johnson to Abraham Lincoln, January 1, 1862
Lowell (MA) Citizen & News, “Points of Present Interest,” June 17, 1863
New York Times, “Telegrams From Carlisle,” June 26, 1863
- Recollection of the Confederate Occupation of Carlisle, June 27-30, 1863
Washington (DC) National Intelligencer, “Rebel Occupation of Carlisle,” June 30, 1863
New York Herald, “The Rebel Occupation of Carlisle,” July 1, 1863
Recollection by C. Stuart Patterson of the Union defense of Carlisle, July 1, 1863
Letter from Theodore S. Garnett to George W. Wingate, May 31, 1892 on the Shelling of Carlisle, July 1, 1863
Charles P. Noyes, 22nd New York, diary entry on opening of bombardment at Carlisle, July 1, 1863
Philadelphia (PA) North America and United States Gazette, “A Desperate Battle At Gettysburg,” July 3, 1863
New York Times, "Carlisle," July 3, 1863
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, “The Rebels at Carlisle,” July 4, 1863
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Every Man To Duty,” July 9, 1863
Carlisle (PA) Herald, "Gen. Ewel [EWELL] Sends His Card," July 10, 1863
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Behavior of Our Citizens Under Rebel Fire,” July 10, 1863
John Keagy Stayman to Edgar Hastings, July 1863
Entry by John McClintock, July 13, 1863
Abraham Lincoln to George Gordon Meade, July 14, 1863
George D. Chenoweth to James W. Marshall, July 15, 1863
Carlisle (PA) American, “What Invasion Has Taught Pennsylvania,” July 15, 1863
Carlisle (PA) American, “Fitzhugh Lee,” July 22, 1863
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “The Skedaddlers,” July 30, 1863
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “Untitled,” March 7, 1872
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “Lecture by Frederick Douglass,” March 7, 1872
Carlisle (PA) Herald, “The Old Question in New Shape,” March 14, 1872
Pennsylvania Profile No. 6 Henry Pratt and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School
Captain Pratt's School
McClintock Slave Riots (June 2, 1847)
Life and Letters of the Rev. John M'Clintock
How to Cite This Page: "Carlisle, PA," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hddev.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/9312.