History:

The Shippensburg Public Library is located at 73 West King Street in the historic George Stewart house. Mr. George Stewart, Sr. was a local banker, grain merchant and railroad owner. The house is located on the site of the former Black Horse Tavern where George Washington stopped during the Whiskey Rebellion. The construction on the house was completed in 1880 and was built in the Victorian/Second Empire style. In 1936 George Stewart, Jr. and his wife Dorothy had an architect, Bernard Starr, design and remodel the house in the Georgian Revival style. The house was then purchased from Mrs. Stewart and remodeled for use as the Shippensburg Public Library in 1957. We opened our doors for business December 9, 1957. By 1968 the library had outgrown its existing space so an addition became necessary.

One of the people instrumental in the founding of the Shippensburg Public Library was Mr. Arthur Burkhart, Sr. He got the Lions Club and Mr. Henry Luhrs interested in the public library as a club project. On November 1933, there was a meeting attended by 38 people who signed the first constitution and the Shippensburg Public Library officially began. These two men continued to play an important role in the library and were instrumental in securing the present location for use as a library.