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History · Messiah College

Messiah College dates to 1909

Most of Messiah College was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1906 on.

1909founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Messiah College’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Messiah College began

When was Messiah College founded?

1909

Messiah College dates its founding to 1909 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1892.

2020 census: 2,841117 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1892.The full story ↓

What stands out about Messiah College’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19067 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1999. Watch Messiah College change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Messiah College’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Messiah College’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMessiahcollegebridge2: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Messiah College on the map, 1906 to 1999

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

Messiah College on the 1906 USGS mapMessiah College on the 1943 USGS mapMessiah College on the 1956 USGS mapMessiah College on the 1963 USGS mapMessiah College on the 1972 USGS mapMessiah College on the 1987 USGS mapMessiah College on the 1999 USGS map1906New Cumberland 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 Messiah College.

The story

How Messiah College came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Messiah College.

Read it all →

The school was founded as "Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home" in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. Originally located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the home of Messiah's first president, Samuel Rogers (S.R.) Smith, a local businessman and leader in the Brethren in Christ Church, the school was moved to Grantham in 1911, following the construction of the campus' first building, Old Main. (The university now uses a Mechanicsburg mailing address, but its main campus is still located in Grantham.) The building was constructed on land donated by S.R. Smith, who had moved his home and various business interests outside of the city to allow for growth in the farmlands surrounding Grantham. In the early years, the school offered a high school curriculum and several Bible programs. By 1921, it had also become a junior college, making it the second junior college in Pennsyl…

Chapters2008 Compassion Forum

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Messiah College, 1906 to 1997

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1909
    FoundingMessiah College is established
  4. 1997In the archiveMessiahcollegebridge2
By decade

Messiah College, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Messiahcollegebridge21997Messiahcollegebridge2
Today4 recent
Messiah College Covered Bridge2017Messiah College Covered BridgeMessiah College - Fall 20162017Messiah College - Fall 2016High-center2017High-centerCovered bridge at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania2016Covered bridge at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, P…
Famous people

Famous people close to Messiah College

Nobody well known was born in Messiah College itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Newt GingrichAmerican politician and former speaker of the U… · b. 1943
Eric MabiusAmerican actor · b. 1971
Glenn BrancaAmerican composer and guitarist · b. 1948
Jennifer BradyUS American tennis player · b. 1995
Jean ShileyAmerican athletics competitor · b. 1911
R
Ryan WhitingAmerican shot putter · b. 1986
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Upper Allen Township1 historic placeC+Monaghan Township1 historic placeB

Questions about Messiah College’s history

What year was Messiah College founded?

In 1909, according to Wikidata. Messiah College’s post office opened in 1892.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.