Grantham, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Grantham is an unincorporated community
in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
, best known today for the Christian liberal arts college, Messiah College
, whose students make up most of its population.
There is no industry, no mass-commercialization, and very little night life outside of the College. The population of Grantham is 85-90% between the ages of 18 and 25 years old - if you only count the student population. The actual residents number between 600-650, a large number of which are Messiah alumni, employees or parents of the same. Founded in the early twentieth century, it was built around the rapidly growing industry built along the nearby railway line, which supplied the labor and logistical support to the macaroni factory run by Messiah College's first president S.R. Smith. After the macaroni plant went out of business, the facility was used for aircraft parts, a greeting card business, and eventually the building was demolished to provide a new maintenance facility for the growing College.
Most of the oldest homes in "downtown" Grantham were built around 1915-17 to house workers for the factory. Currently some of these older homes are used as rentals for College students and others, while others remain private homes. The original Grantham National Bank building (which printed its own currency before the advent of the Fed) still stands on Mill Road, its kitchen retains the original vault!
The other early business was the Mill, a large stone building still located on the original chase which feeds from the Yellow Breeches creek. It was the closest place for farmers to bring their grain for milling. The Mill is currently a private residence, and the home of the original miller (The Griswold Residence) is being renovated as a private residence after being used by Messiah College students for the past 4 years. The rest of the Griswold farm (7 acres) is being developed into a small subdivision of single family homes.
As the College grew, the "uptown" section of Grantham was developed in the 50s and 60s with small post-war starter homes, which were just fine for the College's faculty and staff who were moving into them. At the far edges of the community are some newer townhomes, and since the closing in 2004 of Grantham Road at Route 15 (a long-time dangerous intersection) the town enjoys relative peace and quiet. Summer weekend evenings are often punctuated by the roar of nearby Williams Grove Speedway, but traffic through town is now minimal, which allows for safe biking and walking along Grantham's roads.
An active Grantham Community Association meets regularly to address issues related to township zoning, town-gown relations and public safety. A community summer picnic at the town park each year brings residents together, and an annual yard sale weekend is posted to bring maximum traffic to the town.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, best known today for the Christian liberal arts college, Messiah College
Messiah College
Messiah College is a private Christian college of the liberal arts and applied arts and sciences located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, near the capital city of Harrisburg...
, whose students make up most of its population.
There is no industry, no mass-commercialization, and very little night life outside of the College. The population of Grantham is 85-90% between the ages of 18 and 25 years old - if you only count the student population. The actual residents number between 600-650, a large number of which are Messiah alumni, employees or parents of the same. Founded in the early twentieth century, it was built around the rapidly growing industry built along the nearby railway line, which supplied the labor and logistical support to the macaroni factory run by Messiah College's first president S.R. Smith. After the macaroni plant went out of business, the facility was used for aircraft parts, a greeting card business, and eventually the building was demolished to provide a new maintenance facility for the growing College.
Most of the oldest homes in "downtown" Grantham were built around 1915-17 to house workers for the factory. Currently some of these older homes are used as rentals for College students and others, while others remain private homes. The original Grantham National Bank building (which printed its own currency before the advent of the Fed) still stands on Mill Road, its kitchen retains the original vault!
The other early business was the Mill, a large stone building still located on the original chase which feeds from the Yellow Breeches creek. It was the closest place for farmers to bring their grain for milling. The Mill is currently a private residence, and the home of the original miller (The Griswold Residence) is being renovated as a private residence after being used by Messiah College students for the past 4 years. The rest of the Griswold farm (7 acres) is being developed into a small subdivision of single family homes.
As the College grew, the "uptown" section of Grantham was developed in the 50s and 60s with small post-war starter homes, which were just fine for the College's faculty and staff who were moving into them. At the far edges of the community are some newer townhomes, and since the closing in 2004 of Grantham Road at Route 15 (a long-time dangerous intersection) the town enjoys relative peace and quiet. Summer weekend evenings are often punctuated by the roar of nearby Williams Grove Speedway, but traffic through town is now minimal, which allows for safe biking and walking along Grantham's roads.
An active Grantham Community Association meets regularly to address issues related to township zoning, town-gown relations and public safety. A community summer picnic at the town park each year brings residents together, and an annual yard sale weekend is posted to bring maximum traffic to the town.