The "What Ever Happened to the Shippen House? Story

The original Shippen House at Shippen and Orange Streets.

It was an ordinary day.  Driving west on East Orange Street when I have to stop for a traffic light at the corner of Lime and Orange Streets.  To my right, across Lime Street, is one of the most beautiful and charming buildings in the city of Lancaster, PA.  Place is known as the Young Woman's Christian Association (YWCA) and was built 100 years ago.  Wasn't a popular building when it was first built since it required the demolition of a two-story limestone structure that was built in the late 1760's and was at one time the home of Edward Shippen III.  The property itself passed from James Hamilton to Thomas Cookson, Joseph Balloway and Jasper Yeates.  

The YWCA which replaced the Shippen House.

Edward Shippen III had served as mayor of Philadel- phia as well as holding the office of chief magistrate in Lancaster County.  He founded the town of Shippens- burg and was one of the founders of the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton.  In Lancaster he was best known as allowing the Paxton Rangers to kill the last of the Conestoga Indians after he had pledged to protect them.  The Shippen House was one of Lancaster's best known landmarks.

Click on the photo to read the sign
which stands in front of the YWCA.

 In 1908 the trustees of The Shippen School bought the house and another building along North Lime Street where classes were held.  The teachers in the Shippen School lived in the old Shippen House.  Four years later the YWCA purchased the property and used the Shippen House as their headquarters before demolishing it.  On March 9, 1915, an article appeared in the local Intelligencer reporting that ground was broken for what was called a "splendid structure" to be erected at the corner of Lime and Orange Streets in downtown Lancaster.  The new building will be none other than "the handsome new Young Women's Christian Association."  The move to tear the Shippen House down and build a new building was rather controversial at the time.  The only consolation that the people who wanted the building saved was an historical sign that told about the Shippen House.  I have posted another story about the occupants of the original Shippen House, but have never followed it up with what ever happened to the residence.  Today's story, in the 100th year of what was once the Shippen House, will do that.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.