How many of you have ever heard of Shippensburg University located in the town of Shippensburg in the southern region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania? Alright! It is not as well-known as Penn State University or Harvard or Notre Dame. It began as Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1871 before it was simply named Shippensburg University. For a university that it not very well known, it has had many famous visitors like Pat Benatar, Salt and Pepa, George Carlin, and Jesse Jackson. Every semester, they have many students that attend this university. Shippensburg University is a university that has a deep history.
Some of you are saying, “Wow! This is nice. A university that has a deep history. Oh, I love Pat Benatar. She must have hit the place with her best shot. There is a very big problem. There is no railroad here. Therefore, I will not be making my best shot to visit here.”
Shippensburg University is a university that has a rich history. It is not famous for railroad history. What does Shippensburg University have to do with the railroad? Although the Norfolk Southern Railway passes through Shippensburg, it is a few miles from the university.
As you walk around the university, you see the various structures. You then notice what looks like a rail trail. The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail begin on the northeast side of the university, and it is here where you see two boxcars. The Penn Central boxcar houses the Cumberland Valley Railroad Museum, and the Conrail boxcar houses the Conrail Museum. The railroad line was originally built by the Cumberland Valley Railroad, but it was later taken over by the Penn Central Railroad, and Conrail was the last railroad to run on the line before railroad service ended.
What does this have to do with Shippensburg University? It was a plot of open land along the Cumberland Valley Railroad that became the determining factor for the location of the university. The railroad would bring students to and from the university and played a big role in the establishment of the school.
The next time you think about Shippensburg University, think about a university that had its beginning with the railroad. You can hike the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail and get a feel of how the students came to school.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 