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A+History
History · Chambersburg

Chambersburg dates to 1734, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #81 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

11 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 176 buildings between them. Below: 52 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1810.

1734founded
11on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
52old photos & papers
44famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chambersburg’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chambersburg began

When was Chambersburg founded?

1734

Chambersburg dates its founding to 1734 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 1,304 in 18102020 census: 21,903292 years

How historic is Chambersburg?

A+

More historic than 97% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1788.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Chambersburg’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chambersburg is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #81 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chambersburg’s overall grade.
Founding era1734, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194023.7% of homes (±3.8) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register11 listings, 192 historic buildings, 86.0 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 97%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 92%

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chambersburg’s 86.0 sits above most of its state (88% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 192 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1734.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Chambersburg’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in postcards52 old photos, postcards and papers, 1862–1930.A historic districtThe Chambersburg Historic District takes in 159 historic buildings.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1887 to 1924, drew every building in Chambersburg.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1990. Watch Chambersburg change.
★ What stands out · By decade

Chambersburg, decade by decade

7 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s22 items
Sketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the Old Southwark Gaurd (sic) in Chambersburg - J. Queen del1862Sketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the office…Sketches with Co. B, 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the "Southwark Gaurd" (sic) "breakfasting the regulars", Ch…1862Sketches with Co. B, 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the offic…The Rebel foray in Pennsylvania - General view of Chambersburg ; The Rebels exchanging their rags for overcoats at Cham…1862The Rebel foray in Pennsylvania - General view of Cha…Sketches with Co. B, 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the "Southwark Gaurd" [sic] "breakfasting the regulars"1862Sketches with Co. B, 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the offic…Sketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the Old Southwark Gaurd [sic]1862Sketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the office…Old Franklin County Courthouse, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, after destruction by Confederate troops on July 30, 18641864Old Franklin County Courthouse, Chambersburg, Pennsyl…Ruins of Chambersburg, looking north1864Ruins of Chambersburg, looking northRuins of Chambersburg from the Diamond, looking east1864Ruins of Chambersburg from the Diamond, looking eastBank of Chambersburg & Franklin House1864Bank of Chambersburg & Franklin HouseRuins of Chambersburg, looking west from Market House1864Ruins of Chambersburg, looking west from Market HouseThe rebels under Stuart leaving Chambersburg1864The rebels under Stuart leaving ChambersburgGeneral View1864General ViewCourt House1864Court HouseMain Street - Looking West1864Main Street - Looking WestMain Street - Looking West Chambersburg, Franklin Co., Pa., destroyed by the rebels under McCausland, July 30th, 18641864Main Street - Looking West Chambersburg, Franklin Co.…North-West corner public square1864North-West corner public squareCorner of Main & East King Street1864Corner of Main & East King StreetMarket Street near Second - looking south-west1864Market Street near Second - looking south-westConococheague Creek - looking east, Baptist Church & gas works1864Conococheague Creek - looking east, Baptist Church & …General view from market house, (looking south-east)1864General view from market house, (looking south-east)What was left of the north-east corner of the public square1864What was left of the north-east corner of the public …Classic ruins of the Bank of Chambersburgh1864Classic ruins of the Bank of Chambersburgh
1870s–1900s7 items
Chambersburg, Pa1877Chambersburg, PaKeystone Tourist Court - 2 Miles East of Chambersburg, Pa. on the Lincoln Highway, U.S. 301890Keystone Tourist Court - 2 Miles East of Chambersburg…Chambersburg PA BEye view 18941894Chambersburg PA BEye view 1894Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, burned by rebel cavalry July 30th 18641894Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, burned by rebel cavalry J…Chambersburg - Hancock - Hagerstown1902Chambersburg - Hancock - HagerstownPublic square1905Public squareGeorge Keyports Brady1909George Keyports Brady
1910s–1920s5 items
Bloom Brothers-Conn and Bloom Chambersburg, 1897-1903, 84 South Main Street, in 1910c. 1910Bloom Brothers-Conn and Bloom Chambersburg, 1897-1903…PostcardChambersburg - Moorefield Big Picture1912Chambersburg - Moorefield Big PictureMcCausland and1912McCausland andCVRR1916CVRRChambersburg PA Central Presby PHS1231923Chambersburg PA Central Presby PHS123Postcard
1930s18 items
Aerial view of Chambersburg, Pa (79764)c. 1930Aerial view of Chambersburg, Pa (79764)PostcardAirplane view of Penn Hall School, Chambersburg, Pa (79765)c. 1930Airplane view of Penn Hall School, Chambersburg, Pa (…PostcardBirthplace of President James Buchanan, Chambersburg, Pa (79760)c. 1930Birthplace of President James Buchanan, Chambersburg,…PostcardBlue Bird Restaurant, Chambersburg, Pa (77657)c. 1930Blue Bird Restaurant, Chambersburg, Pa (77657)PostcardCampus view, Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pa (79761)c. 1930Campus view, Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pa (79761)PostcardCentral Presbyterian Church, Chambersburg, Pa (87717)c. 1930Central Presbyterian Church, Chambersburg, Pa (87717)PostcardCentral Presbyterian Church, Memorial Square, Chambersburg, Pa (79757)c. 1930Central Presbyterian Church, Memorial Square, Chamber…PostcardChambersburg Area Senior High School, Chambersburg, Pa (89950)c. 1930Chambersburg Area Senior High School, Chambersburg, P…PostcardChambersburg High School, Chambersburg, Pa (79755)c. 1930Chambersburg High School, Chambersburg, Pa (79755)PostcardChambersburg Hospital, Chambersburg, Pa., built 1950 (87716)c. 1930Chambersburg Hospital, Chambersburg, Pa., built 1950 …PostcardCourt house and fountain, Memorial Square, Chambersburg, Pa (79759)c. 1930Court house and fountain, Memorial Square, Chambersbu…PostcardDixie Tourist Court, 8 miles south of Chambersburg, Pa (77708)c. 1930Dixie Tourist Court, 8 miles south of Chambersburg, P…PostcardDixie Tourist Court, 8 miles south of Chambersburg, Pa., on U.S. 11 (84345)c. 1930Dixie Tourist Court, 8 miles south of Chambersburg, P…PostcardEntrance and administration building Letterkenny Ordnance Depot, Chambersburg, Penna (87714)c. 1930Entrance and administration building Letterkenny Ordn…PostcardHotel Washington, Cambersburg, Pa (67552)c. 1930Hotel Washington, Cambersburg, Pa (67552)PostcardJohn Stewart Memorial Library, Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pa (79762)c. 1930John Stewart Memorial Library, Wilson College, Chambe…PostcardKeystone Tourist Court, 2 miles east of Chambersburg, PA (89793)c. 1930Keystone Tourist Court, 2 miles east of Chambersburg,…PostcardMain street, looking south, Chambersburg, Pa (87715)c. 1930Main street, looking south, Chambersburg, Pa (87715)Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the National Register

11 listings protect 192 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
11
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
192
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Franklin County Jail
Franklin County JailJohn Brown HouseFranklin County Courthouse, built 1865Memorial Fountain and StatueTownhouse RowZion Reformed ChurchChambersburg Historic DistrictWilson College, built 1869Coldbrook FarmMasonic TempleMary B. Sharpe School
BuildingsDistrictsObjects

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Georgian2
Federal2
Italianate1
Neoclassical1
Victorian Romanesque1
Franklin County JailBuilding
John Brown HouseBuilding
Franklin County CourthouseGreek Revival · Built 1865
Memorial Fountain and StatueObject
Townhouse RowBuilding
Zion Reformed ChurchGeorgian
Chambersburg Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Wilson CollegeSecond Empire · Built 1869
All 11 listings
Coldbrook FarmBuilding · listed 1996Masonic TempleBuilding · listed 1976Mary B. Sharpe SchoolBuilding · listed 2024

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Chambersburg, building by building, 1887–1924

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Chambersburg fire insurance map, 1887, sheet 11887Sheet 1 of 14
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Chambersburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chambersburg.

Read it all →

Native Americans living or hunting in the area during the 18th century included the six Iroquois tribes of a confederacy known as the Iroquois League or Haudenosaunee, the Lenape, and the Shawnee. The Lenape lived mostly to the east, with the Iroquois to the north, and the Shawnee to the south. Their traders, hunters, and warriors traveled on the north-south route sometimes called the "Virginia path" through the Cumberland Valley, from New York through what became Carlisle and Shippensburg, then through what would become Hagerstown, Maryland, crossing the Potomac River into the Shenandoah Valley.

ChaptersEuropean settlement1775–1858Civil War eraCivil War legacyNational Register of Historic PlacesHistoric images

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Chambersburg in 1887

Passages that mention Chambersburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Martha (Snider) Eby, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. His great-grandfather was born in Germany. Jacob Eby, after his marriage, moved to Guilford Township and kept a hotel for seven years on the Baltimore and Chambersburg pike (when stages ran from Baltimore to Chambersburg), and he u…
History of Franklin county, Pennsylvania1887 · page 805Read the page →
Read the text

Martha (Snider) Eby, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. His great-grandfather was born in Germany. Jacob Eby, after his marriage, moved to Guilford Township and kept a hotel for seven years on the Baltimore and Chambersburg pike (when stages ran from Baltimore to Chambersburg), and he used to stable from twenty-five to thirty teams in one night. In 1840 he moved two miles west of Chambersburg, on the Bedford and Chambersburg pike, and kept hotel twenty-two years; bought 120 acres of land and lived there until 1853, when he moved to Chambersburg, where he bought property and

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1764 Col. Chambers laid out the town of Chambersburg, whose history is sketched elsewhere in this volume. The history of this sturdy early settler is the history of the county and of the commonwealth for more than half a century. From the time he landed at the Falling Spring till his declining h…
History of Franklin county, Pennsylvania1887 · page 151Read the page →
Read the text

In 1764 Col. Chambers laid out the town of Chambersburg, whose history is sketched elsewhere in this volume. The history of this sturdy early settler is the history of the county and of the commonwealth for more than half a century. From the time he landed at the Falling Spring till his declining health rendered further activity impossible, he was the acknowledged leader of the people in all civil, military and religious movements.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Chambersburg, 1734 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1734
    FoundingChambersburg is established
  3. 1788Post officeThe Chambersburg post office opens
  4. 19th century
  5. 1839Born hereDaniel Ridgway Knight is born here
  6. 1862In the archiveSketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the Old Southwark Gaurd (sic) …
  7. 1865BuiltFranklin County Courthouse is built
  8. 1869BuiltWilson College is built
  9. 1877In the archiveChambersburg, Pa
  10. 1890In the archiveKeystone Tourist Court - 2 Miles East of Chambersburg, Pa. on the Lincoln Highway, U.S. 30
  11. 20th century
  12. 1902In the archiveChambersburg - Hancock - Hagerstown
  13. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 1910In the archiveBloom Brothers-Conn and Bloom Chambersburg, 1897-1903, 84 South Main Street, in 1910
  15. 1923In the archiveChambersburg PA Central Presby PHS123
  16. 1961Born hereJohn Putch is born here
  17. 1969Born hereChristopher T. Donahue is born here
  18. 1998Born hereLil Skies is born here
On the map

Chambersburg on the map, 1902 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chambersburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chambersburg on the 1902 USGS mapChambersburg on the 1944 USGS mapChambersburg on the 1968 USGS mapChambersburg on the 1973 USGS mapChambersburg on the 1990 USGS map1902Chambersburg sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chambersburg.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Sketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the Old Southwark Gaurd (sic) in Chambersburg - J. Queen del
Retake this viewSketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. under the officers of the Old Southwark Gaurd (sic) in Chambersburg - J. Queen del, 1862

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Chambersburg’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Chambersburg, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,000185019001950200021,903

Grew from 1,304 people in 1810 to 21,903 in 2020, more than tenfold.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chambersburg’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

44 famous people were born in Chambersburg

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Lil SkiesAmerican rapper · b. 1998
J
John PutchAmerican actor, filmmaker · b. 1961
Christopher T. DonahueAmerican Army general · b. 1969
Daniel Ridgway KnightAmerican artist · b. 1839
William V. MongActor, screenwriter, film director · b. 1875
Thomas R. BardAmerican politician · b. 1841
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Chambersburg’s post office has been open since 1788.

8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Chambersburg
Cedar GroveChambersburg JewishFalling Spring Presbyterian ChurchFirst Evangelical Lutheran Church of ChambersburgLincolnStoufferstownTrinity Episcopal Church ColumbariumZion Reformed Church

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Chambersburg’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSketches with Co B. 8th Reg. Pa. Ma. un…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hamilton Township1 historic placeC+Guilford Township3 historic placesBGreene Township3 historic placesB

Questions about Chambersburg’s history

What year was Chambersburg founded?

In 1734, according to Wikidata. Chambersburg’s post office opened in 1788, and the census of 1810 counted 1,304 people here.

How does Chambersburg rank for history?

Chambersburg is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #81 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Chambersburg?

11 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Franklin County Jail (listed 1970, the first), 2 historic districts, the Chambersburg Historic District and the Wilson College, with 176 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 192 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Chambersburg?

24% of Chambersburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1963.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (31), the Library of Congress (21), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (11), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.