Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Civic Club of Carlisle

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

1. The Civic Club of Carlisle Marker

Inscription.

The Civic Club of Carlisle. . From 1955 to 2011 this house served as the club house for the Civic Club of Carlisle, one of the oldest women's civic clubs in Pennsylvania. , On June 22, 1898, Gertrude Bosler Biddle (1857-1950) convened a meeting of 32 women to establish a club “to increase the public interest in all matters relating to good citizenship, and to promote a better social order.” Membership eventually grew to over 400 by the 1950s when the club acquired a permanent home on this site. , The club's earliest projects involved purchasing sprinklers to reduce dust on the unpaved downtown streets, placing waste receptacles on the streets, encouraging compliance with ordinances against unsanitary conditions, and securing public lands for playgrounds. Its members lobbied the water company to lay pipes to all homes in the borough and established a free kindergarten. , From focusing on the town's most basic needs, it went on to conduct well-baby clinics, hire the town's first public nurse, and teach citizenship in the schools. It provided milk to schoolchildren and sponsored the establishment of Girl Scouting, the YWCA, and the Helen Stevens Mental Health Center. , In 2011 the Civic Club voted.to sell its club house in order to devote its resources more effectively to the goals of the organization. The club continues its tradition of literacy and citizenship projects, and raises funds to help meet the health and welfare needs of the Carlisle community. , [Captions (clockwise from top left)] , . Gertrude Bosler Biddle, c. 1880. Photo by John N. Choate. (Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA) , . A visiting nurse examines a young child, Alfred Moten, at the Child Health Center sponsored by the Carlisle Civic Club, September 11, 1954. (Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA) , . Street sprinklers owned and operated by the Carlisle Civic Club, c. 1898. It was used to keep Carlisle's streets clean. (Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA)

From 1955 to 2011 this house served as the club house for the Civic Club of Carlisle, one of the oldest women's civic clubs in Pennsylvania.

On June 22, 1898, Gertrude Bosler Biddle (1857-1950) convened a meeting of 32 women to establish a club “to increase the public interest in all matters relating to good citizenship, and to promote a better social order.” Membership eventually grew to over 400 by the 1950s when the club acquired a permanent home on this site.

The club's earliest projects involved purchasing sprinklers to reduce dust on the unpaved downtown streets, placing waste receptacles on the streets, encouraging compliance with ordinances against unsanitary conditions, and securing public lands for playgrounds. Its members lobbied the water company to lay pipes to all homes in the borough and established a free kindergarten.

From focusing on the town's most basic needs, it went on to conduct well-baby clinics, hire the town's first public nurse, and teach citizenship in the schools. It provided milk to schoolchildren and sponsored the establishment of Girl Scouting, the YWCA, and the

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Helen Stevens Mental Health Center.

In 2011 the Civic Club voted.to sell its club house in order to devote its resources more effectively to the goals of the organization. The club continues its tradition of literacy and citizenship projects, and raises funds to help meet the health and welfare needs of the Carlisle community.

[Captions (clockwise from top left)]
• Gertrude Bosler Biddle, c. 1880. Photo by John N. Choate. (Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA)
• A visiting nurse examines a young child, Alfred Moten, at the Child Health Center sponsored by the Carlisle Civic Club, September 11, 1954. (Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA)
• Street sprinklers owned and operated by the Carlisle Civic Club, c. 1898. It was used to keep Carlisle's streets clean. (Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA)

Erected by Historic Carlisle, Inc.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is June 22, 1898.

Location. 40° 12.023′ N, 77° 11.76′ W. Marker is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

2. The Civic Club of Carlisle Marker

It is at the intersection of West Pomfret Street and West Chapel Avenue, on the right when traveling east on West Pomfret Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 264 W Pomfret St, Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania and in Greater Harrisburg.

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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dickinson School of Law (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dickinson College (about 600 feet away); West College: A National Historic Landmark (about 700 feet away); The Benjamin Rush Campus of Dickinson College (about 700 feet away); The President’s House (about 700 feet away); The John Dickinson Campus of Dickinson College

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); Dickinson Students Part Ways (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Benjamin Rush (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Forbes Road (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Carlisle Old and New (PDF). Among the Civic Club of Carlisle's many projects was this 1907 history of Carlisle. The Library of Congress has digitized two copies of the book, including one that was presented to President Woodrow Wilson in November, 1919. (Submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 262 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.