Carlisle History

Carlisle History. . , [Mural Key] , 1 American Revolutionary Benjamin Rush is the Founding Father of the United States and signer of the Declaration of Independence. In addition to being a physician, politician, humanitarian, and educator, he is also the founder of Carlisle Grammar School, which was chartered as Dickinson College in 1783. This private liberal-arts educational institution was the first college established in the new United States of America, pictured to the right, is the first building erected on campus, and is now a National Historic Landmark., 2 The predominant centralized figure represents Revolutionary War heroine Mary Ludwig Hayes, also known as 'Molly Pitcher.' Mary earned the nickname during the Battle of Monmouth, where she carried pitchers of water to cool the cannons and the soldiers. After her husband collapsed, Molly took over firing the cannon for the remainder of the battle., 3 To the right is Native American athlete Jim Thorpe who attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a boarding school located on the Carlisle Barracks from 1879-1918. In addition to winning Olympic gold medals in 1912 for the pentathlon and decathlon, Thorpe went on to play professional baseball and football., 4 The bell and clock tower can be found atop the Old Cumberland County Courthouse. This historic Georgian-style structure was built in 1846 after arson destroyed the original building., And, at the bottom center, the depiction of the trolley represents Carlisle's prime location and significance as a transportation hub and a major distribution center.