White Hall School

White Hall School. . 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 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.