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Carlisle is the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is about 18 miles west of Harrisburg, the state capital. Carlisle was planned and founded in 1751 when it was a pioneer town and became the gateway to the westward movement. It was a prominent military post in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Carlisle was the home of two signers of the Declaration of Independence and a heroine of the Revolutionary War, Molly Pitcher. It was also one of the most northern towns occupied by the Confederate army during the Civil War. The town was the location of a number of known manufacturers, such as Carlisle Tire and Rubber Company, Quartz Crystal Company, and C.H. Masland Company. Carlisle is known today as the “Trucking Capital of the World.” It is also the home of Dickinson College, the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, and the US Army War College.

Author Beverly J. Bone, a historian and Cumberland County resident, is the curator of the Mechanicsburg Museum and a research assistant for the Cumberland County Historical Society. The images were compiled from the Cumberland County Historical Society.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.