Shippensburg University Virtual History Walking Tour

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In the period after World War II, the campus exploded both in terms of size and the number of students. This was largely in part due to college becoming more available to children from middle class and lower class families, the federal and state governments poured money into expanding their colleges and universities. Additionally, there was a large influx of veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War who chose to attend college on the G.I. Bill.

2. Huber Art Center

The cornerstone of this building reads 1930. That is the year construction began on what would become the first library building on campus. Originally the library had been attached to the chapel in Old Main. In 1902 when the chapel was remodeled, the library was moved into the space behind the stage. President Ezra Lehman planned for the new library, and when he died unexpectedly in 1931, it was decided to name the library after him.

3. Rowland and Shearer Hall

These two building were constructed in the late 1930s. It was still the Great Depression, and these two buildings were part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal jobs program meant to use public construction projects to provide jobs to unemployed workers. In 1937, the federal Public Works Administration release $56 million for construction projects in educational institutions in Pennsylvania.

4. Stewart Hall

This building is the second oldest building on our campus. It opened in 1895 and was the first gymnasium. There have been a total of four gymnasiums on our campus - the first being Stewart Hall, Henderson Gymnasium, the Field House, and now the Ship Rec. In 1937, President Leslie Rowland secured funds for the new gymnasium, now the Henderson Gymnasium, which would be equipped with a swimming pool. The school needed to find a new use for this building. On Alumni Day, May 27, 1950, the remodeled building was dedicating in honor of John Keats Stewart and Harriet Wylie Stewart as the new campus student union. In the 1970s, the new student union was constructed. Stewart Hall became the home of the Communication Journalism Department. For a few years following, it was also the home of Shippensburg's children theater - the Little Princess Playhouse.

5. The Fountain in Front of Old Main

The fountain is one of the most iconic, and most photographed, places on the Shippensburg University campus. The cast-iron fountain designed by the J.W. Fiske Company of New York City was donated by the Class of 1896 at the time of their graduation. The fountain has seen many different uses over its long history. President Dr. Samuel Martin’s children, Emily and Drew, enjoyed swimming in the fountain on hot summer days, it was a favorite meeting spot, and also was, and still is, a regular spot for portraits and group pictures.

6. Shippensburg University Old Main

Before beginning the History Walking Tour of the original part of our campus, it is necessary to understand how it came to be. In the early 1800s, a movement swept Pennsylvania championing the idea that all Pennsylvanian children should be able to receive a free education. Public schools began popping up around the state, and then in 1857, the legislature passed the Normal School Act. The Normal School Act was designed to train teachers for all those new public schools. They were called “normal” schools because many people teaching in those new schools had no previous training — and the goal was to introduce teachers to the acceptable “norms” that they should follow. Fun Fact: Originally, the university was named the Cumberland Valley State Normal School. This name lasted from 1870 to 1927.

7. Horton Hall

Horton Hall was constructed in 1895 as a women’s dormitory. Teaching was seen at the time as a women’s profession, so it not surprising that there was need for more space for women than men. This was the women’s side of Old Main, so it makes sense that it would be linked to the Women’s Dorm. Co-ed dorms underwent creation during the 1960s through the 1970s.

8. Gilbert Hall

Gilbert Hall was built as the second model school for the Cumberland Valley State Normal School in 1911. The building replaced the original Model School on the first floor of Old Main. Gilbert Hall housed the lab school until the early 1940s when a new lab school opened - the Rowland School.

9. The Martin House

Originally, the principal of the school lived in a second-floor apartment in Old Main. However, by the early twentieth century, the school decided those quarters were no longer sufficient. The President's House was designed in the Colonial Revival style. The home cost around 6,000 dollars to build at that time.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Shippensburg University Virtual History Walking Tour

Created by Meghan Turtle on August 24th 2020, 2:22:23 pm.

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The SU History and Philosophy Department brings our students the history of Shippensburg University. It is the story of an institution that has continuously changed and adapted over time while remaining true to its central mission. Our school had endured for almost 150 years. Today, we are part of that long tradition—an institution that has developed and grown, but always remained dedicated to the core purpose of teaching, learning, and serving the community.

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Shippensburg University Virtual History Walking Tour

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