White-Washed in the Nick of Time: The Union (Sherman House) Hotel

White-Washed in the Nick of Time: The Union (Sherman House) Hotel (HM299M)

Location: Shippensburg, PA 17257 Cumberland County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 3.024', W 77° 31.248'

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Inscription

Shippensburg Civil War Trail

On this site in 1863 stood the crown jewel of Shippensburg's business district, the grand three-story Union Hotel that catered to the needs of both local businessmen and travelers. As the Rebel army advanced towards Shippensburg, the hotel's proprietors feared that the name "Union Hotel" displayed prominently across the building's side might draw the invaders' wrath. The day before the Confederates arrived, the owners hired painters to whitewash the hotel's sign. Working all day in blistering heat, the painters managed to cover the old lettering. To complete the job, the hotel was renamed the "Sherman House." The plan succeeded and the building survived the Confederate possession of Shippensburg. After the war, the Sherman House Hotel endured for almost a century, until it burned in 1960.
Did you know?
No one knows why the Union Hotel proprietors chose the name Sherman House, but it certainly was not to honor General William Tecumseh Sherman(left). Fortunately for the owners, General Sherman did not achieve national fame until after the Union Army's 1864 Georgia campaign which included his famous "March Through Georgia."
[Photo caption reads] Sherman House, April 1879
Details
HM NumberHM299M
Tags
Placed ByShippensburg- Historical Society, Borough Historical Architectural Review Board, Chamber of Commerce, University, et al
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, July 11th, 2018 at 7:01pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 284971 N 4436395
Decimal Degrees40.05040000, -77.52080000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 3.024', W 77° 31.248'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 3' 1.44" N, 77° 31' 14.88" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)717
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 12 W King St, Shippensburg PA 17257, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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