Chambersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Colhoun House
circa 1782
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 26, 2024
1. The Colhoun House Marker
Inscription.
The Colhoun House. circa 1782. Constructed in 1782 it is one of the oldest houses in Chambersburg. The home was built by Dr. John Colhoun, who was the first physician in PA to live and practice medicine west of the Susquehanna River. Son-in-Law to Benjamin Chambers, founder of the town, Colhoun's wife, Ruhamah, was the oldest daughter of Col. Chambers and his wife Jane Williams Chambers. Built to be very solid and strong with walls more than 22" thick, Chambers donated limestone, originally quarried for his own use near the Falling Spring, for use in the south wall. The north side of the house was completed in 1786. On Sun, Feb. 17, 1788, Chambers attended the morning worship service at the Presbyterian Church of Falling Spring followed by Sunday dinner at his daughter's home. Soon after the meal, Chambers suffered a heart attack and died on a bench along the north wall of the wide ball within the house. He is buried at the rear of the church adjacent to the house. Only four years later, in Dec. 1792, Colhoun died of pneumonia and his widow lived in the house until her death. Surviving the burning of Chambersburg July 31, 1864, it remained in the Chambers family until the stock market crash of 1929 when the bank took possession of the home. The property was purchased by Robert A. Sellers in 1935, and after an extensive two year remodeling, was opened as a funeral home June 17, 1937.
Constructed in 1782 it is one of the oldest houses in
Chambersburg. The home was built by Dr. John Colhoun, who
was the first physician in PA to live and practice medicine
west of the Susquehanna River. Son-in-Law to Benjamin
Chambers, founder of the town, Colhoun's wife, Ruhamah,
was the oldest daughter of Col. Chambers and his wife Jane
Williams Chambers. Built to be very solid and strong with
walls more than 22" thick, Chambers donated limestone,
originally quarried for his own use near the Falling Spring,
for use in the south wall. The north side of the house was
completed in 1786. On Sun, Feb. 17, 1788, Chambers
attended the morning worship service at the Presbyterian
Church of Falling Spring followed by Sunday dinner at his
daughter's home. Soon after the meal, Chambers suffered a
heart attack and died on a bench along the north wall of the
wide ball within the house. He is buried at the rear of the
church adjacent to the house. Only four years later, in Dec.
1792, Colhoun died of pneumonia and his widow lived in the
house until her death. Surviving the burning of
Chambersburg July 31, 1864, it remained in the Chambers
family until the stock market crash of 1929 when the bank
took possession of the home. The property was purchased by
Robert A. Sellers in 1935, and after an extensive two year
remodeling, was
Location. 39° 56.489′ N, 77° 39.606′ W. Marker is in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in Franklin County. It is at the intersection of Philadelphia Avenue (U.S. 11) and Chambers Street, on the right when traveling south on Philadelphia Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 297 Philadelphia Ave, Chambersburg PA 17201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 26, 2024
2. The Colhoun House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 407 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 8, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
