Market House Square
Walking Tour Stop 7
In their 1751 plan for Carlisle, the Penn family designated a portion of the Square to be used as a market. From 1751 until 1952 a market was held on this spot.
Markets were held twice a week, and were overseen by the Clerk of the Market who was required to attend with his scales to validate the weight of goods sold.
At least three market buildings stood here over the years. A 1760s map depicts an open-air building facing High Street. It was destroyed by a violent windstorm in 1836, and a similar structure replaced it the following year.
The last Market House, a grandiose Victorian structure, was built in 1878. Market business took place on the open first floor, while the second floor housed various Borough offices. Despie a valiant preservation effort by a group of townspeople and farmers, the building was demolished in 1952, making way for the “new” Court House.
Marker is at the intersection of Hanover Street (Pennsylvania Route 34) and High Street (Pennsylvania Route 74), on the right when traveling north on Hanover Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
