Shiremanstown and Our Church History

Shiremanstown got its beginning the way many towns did in the early 1800s. The area was comprised of farms but as farmers became older and turned their farms over to their sons, they wanted to build homes in towns. In the late 1700s, a man named Daniel Shireman owned a considerable amount of land, several hundred acres, and much of it is where Shiremanstown, east of Shireman Manor, is located today. Daniel Shireman was a farmer, merchant, and hotel owner and his son, Samuel, is the namesake of Shiremanstown.

Shiremanstown was desirable to people because land was less expensive than land along Trindle Road as well as less occupied. Unlike Carlisle, the town was not laid out in advance. Lots were not planned until 1841. In 1845, additional lots were laid out by Jacob Merkel in an area that became known as Merkel’s Addition. This is the area of Shiremanstown along Green Street, then known as Second Street. In 1827, the town was officially named Shiremanstown, although Daniel Shireman referred to it as such in his will of 1810. In 1874, the official articles of incorporation were filed and Daniel Shireman’s son, Samuel Shireman, was named the Town Founder although the town itself is named after Samuel’s father, Daniel. In the late 1800s, Shiremanstown was known for its shops that built coaches and wagons, and at one time, had 3 different manufactories.

The land between St. John’s Road and the Susquehanna River, bounded on the north by the Conodiquinet Creek and on the south by the Yellow Breeches Creek, was originally an Indian Reservation set aside by William Penn. It was called Louther Manor and whites were not allowed to settle there. By 1767, the Penns had worked out a new agreement with the Indians and this land was available for purchase. On September 20, 1774 Ulrick Shupe, son of John Shopp of Lancaster County, purchased the land called "Manington" as his first farm west of the Susquehanna. He added additional parcels of land from time to time, some of it purchased directly from John Penn, grandson of William Penn. Ulrick built a two room log cabin near where the stone house stands today. His children were subsequently born in this log cabin. When he died in 1788, he left his farm to his son, Johannes. After his father’s death, Johannes sold the log cabin to the community for 15 pounds. It was moved to near the Peace Church, eventually covered with weather board clapping, and used as a school house and church for 104 years until it was torn down in 1902.  Johannes Shopp (Johannes on his tombstone but John on his feed bags) built the stone house that sits here today. The house was made entirely from stone found on the farm with the exception of two flat slabs that formed the mantel in the front parlor. One fireplace had a keystone formed into it to represent Pennsylvania, and again, all stone was from the farm. The floors were oak and the doors solid walnut - all wood was also from the farm. It had 23 rooms, was 4 stories and had exterior stone walls of an 18 inch thickness. But it had no closets. There was also a cave in the cellar, believed to have possibly had water in it at one time from a spring close to the house.  During the Civil War, mules and fodder were taken from the farm. And during WW I, the army requisitioned walnut trees for gun stocks.

The first preaching place of the United Brethren in the lower end of the Cumberland Valley was here, in the home of Johannes Shopp, in 1800 when Christian Newcomer preached here on March 24 and again on October 3. In 1803, Christian Newcomer again preached here, accompanied by Bishop Martin Boehm. Revival meetings as well as preaching services were often held.

In 1821, Johannes died and left the farm to his son, Johann or John as we see his name in the history of our church. John continued on with his father’s devotion to the church. A conference of the United Brethren Church was held in the Shopp’s home in 1826 with 42 ministers present. At that conference, a discussion was held about the viability of building a meeting house. John Shopp donated land and on October 14, 1827, Bishop Christian Newcomer led the service to dedicate the newly constructed church known as the "Shopp’s Meeting House". This meeting house was located where the church cemetery now lies and was only the 9th United Brethren Church to be constructed after 1800 and the 12th to be built overall.

Various pastors of the Carlisle Circuit served Shopp’s Meeting House until 1843 when a new circuit was created called "Shopp’s Station". Shopp’s Station included our church as well as Fishing Creek, Wormleysburg, West Fairview and a location near Blue Mountain. In 1896, the name was changed from Shopp’s Station to Shiremanstown.

The first Sunday school in the area around Shiremanstown was organized on June 16, 1850 and had 28 adults and 69 children the first Sunday. It was held in the Shopp’s Meeting House. It was also the first to offer year round classes as the tradition was to close during winter months.

On March 26, 1827, John Shopp donated one acre, triangular in nature, for a church cemetery. On September 3, 1887, just shy of a month of his death, he purchased three lots in the cemetery for $75. While there are no pictures of the Shopp’s Meeting House and its exact location is not known, oral history says that the pulpit was located were Bishop Jacob Erb is now buried. The cemetery was not used for a number of years, the last burial being in 1957, but is now once again being utilized.

In 1854, despite protests and resistance from many in the congregation, the decision was made that the church needed to be moved into Shiremanstown. In July of 1855, the new church was dedicated. It was from the belfry of this new church that Union soldiers rang the bell to warn of Confederate soldiers approaching on Sunday, June 28, 1863 The 16th Virginia Regiment had advanced east from Mechanicsburg and were near the Peace Church. Cannons were occasionally fired in the direction of Shiremanstown and Camp Hill. 28th Street in Camp Hill marks the real high water mark of the Civil War. On the evening of June 29, Confederate troops, in good position to overtake Harrisburg, retreated in order to follow General Lee’s orders to proceed immediately to Gettysburg.

In 1917, the church exterior was remodeled. The brick was painted white, the fence and shutters removed. In1943, to try and accommodate a growing congregation, the basement was expanded and a small extension was built on the back of the church (no longer there). In 1954, due to the continuing growth of the congregation, it was determined that expansion was again needed. It proved neither economical or feasible to remodel the existing church. A two phase approach was taken. First, the Christian Education building was constructed for a cost of $115,000 and dedicated on December 18, 1955. In 1962, the congregation voted to build a new sanctuary. In late summer of 1962, the limestone and brick church was torn down and groundbreaking services for the new sanctuary were held just a few weeks later on September 16. The cornerstone was laid on April 21, 1963 and dedication occurred on April 21, 1963. The new sanctuary cost $180,000.

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