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

White Hall School

Photographed by Larry Gertner, May 3, 2016

1. White Hall School Marker

Inscription. In May 1866, the White Hall School for soldiers’ orphans opened in the 2100 block of Market Street in what is now Camp Hill. Within a year it had 121 boys and 80 girls under its roof, with a faculty of five and a staff of twelve. The students wore uniforms and adhered to a strict schedule of academic classes and trade instruction for the boys and homemaking skills for the girls. Students were encouraged to use the library of 350 books, participate in singing and music, and attend religious services at the nearby Camp Hill Church of God. They also worked on the school’s farm and grew and preserved much of their own food as part of their practical education. Each year the students were tested, including a public oral examination. Being the closest school to Harrisburg, governors and legislators often visited to ensure that standards of care and education were met.

At age 16, students were graduated and sent into the world, thus known as ‘Sixteeners”. The White Hall School closed in 1890 when enrollment became too small, and the remaining students were sent to other schools. The alumni “Sixteeners” of

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

the White Hall School erected a small monument to the school in 1926 in Willow Park. originally, there was a small statue of a student in a military uniform on the top of the monument, but it disappeared years ago.

Erected by Camp Curtin Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, US Civil.

Location. 40° 14.483′ N, 76° 55.517′ W. Marker is in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It is on N 25th Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Camp Hill PA 17011, 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

Willow Park monument cluster image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, May 3, 2016

2. Willow Park monument cluster

The White Hall School is to the right of the "Skirmish of Oyster's Point" marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Skirmish of Oyster’s Point (here, next to this marker); Cumberland Riflemen (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Maurice K. Goddard (about 300 feet away); Camp Hill Church of God (approx. ¼ mile away); Gettysburg Campaign (approx. 0.4 miles away); Robert Whitehill (1735 - 1813) (approx. half a mile away); Camp Hill (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lemoyne (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camp Hill.

White Hall School monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, May 3, 2016

3. White Hall School monument

The original 1926 monument described in the text is right alongside.

Nearby memorial marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, May 3, 2016

4. Nearby memorial marker

Visible in monument cluster, screen right.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, May 3, 2016

5. Nearby memorial marker

Visible in monument cluster, screen left.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, May 3, 2016

6. Nearby memorial marker

Visible on footbridge in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 17, 2016, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 1,478 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 17, 2016, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.