Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Messiah College is a community of 2,329 people in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Why visit Messiah College
Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 11 places to eat and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Parmer Cinema (B 137), Williams Grove Amusement Park, Union Hotel and Gilbert Bridge.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 25°F.
Weather in Messiah College
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Messiah College
Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university with its main campus in Grantham, Pennsylvania and Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg.
From the Wikipedia article Messiah University (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Parmer Cinema (B 137)
Cinema and theater · 0.4 mi
2825 Chapel Drive, Mechanicsburg
Fr 18:00-24:00; Sa 15:00-24:00; SH off; May-Aug off
Williams Grove Amusement Park
Monument and historic site · 2.7 mi
Abandoned amusement park near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States
Museums and landmarks10
Union Hotel
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Listed on the NRHP in Pennsylvania
Gilbert Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Bridge in United States of America
John Williams House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Listed on the NRHP in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
The Oakes Museum of Natural History
Museum
420 College Avenue, Mechanicsburg
Sa 13:00-17:00||"on appointment"
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
Restaurants and cafes11
Brothers Family Dining
Restaurant · Diner · 1.1 mi
705 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg
Mo-Sa 06:00-20:00; Su 07:00-15:00
JoJo's Pizza & Pasta
Restaurant · Italian · 1.3 mi
2210 Aspen Drive, Mechanicsburg
Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
Oscar's Pizza Town USA
Restaurant · Italian · 1.2 mi
2 Pine Tree Drive, Mechanicsburg
Mo off; Tu-Th 10:30-21:30; Fr-Sa 10:30-22:30; Su 11:30-21:30
Lottie Nelson Dining Hall
Restaurant · Regional
500 College Avenue, Mechanicsburg
Mo-Fr 07:00-10:00,11:00-15:00,16:30-19:30;Sa-Su...
The Falcon
Cafe · Regional
500 College Avenue, Mechanicsburg
Mo-Fr 07:30-15:30;May-Aug 06:00-14:00;SH off
Falcon Hut
Fast food · Regional · 0.5 mi
North Grantham Road, Dillsburg
"Special Events Only"
History
The school was founded as "Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home" in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. Originally located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the home of Messiah's first president, Samuel Rogers (S.R.) Smith, a local businessman and leader in the Brethren in Christ Church, the school was moved to Grantham in 1911, following the construction of the campus' first building, Old Main. (The university now uses a Mechanicsburg mailing address, but its main campus is still located in Grantham.) The building was constructed on land donated by S.R. Smith, who had moved his home and various business interests outside of the city to allow for growth in the farmlands surrounding Grantham. In the early years, the school offered a high school curriculum and several Bible programs. By 1921, it had also become a junior college, making it the second junior college in Pennsylvania, and changed its name to "Messiah Bible School". The campus covers 375 acres.
By the 1950s, the school offered four-year college programs and accordingly in 1951 it changed its name to "Messiah College". Messiah discontinued its high school program in 1959 and added liberal arts programs during this period. It was accredited as a four-year college in 1963, and continued to expand its liberal arts programs.
From the History section of Messiah University on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship5
Daybreak Church
Church · Christian And Missionary Alliance · 1.4 mi
321 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg
Shepherdstown United Methodist Church
Church · United Methodist · 1.5 mi
1934 South York Street, Mechanicsburg
Grantham Brethren in Christ Church
Church · Brethren In Christ · 0.4 mi
421 Grantham Road, Mechanicsburg
Shopping4
The Mills at Shepherdstown Crossing
Shopping center · 1.5 mi
219 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare1
Map of Messiah College
64 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°F | 25°F | 2.6 in |
| Feb | 43°F | 26°F | 2.4 in |
| Mar | 53°F | 34°F | 3.4 in |
| Apr | 65°F | 43°F | 3.7 in |
| May | 75°F | 53°F | 3.5 in |
| Jun | 83°F | 63°F | 3.7 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 67°F | 4.3 in |
| Aug | 85°F | 66°F | 3.7 in |
| Sep | 79°F | 58°F | 4.1 in |
| Oct | 67°F | 47°F | 3.7 in |
| Nov | 55°F | 37°F | 2.8 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 30°F | 3.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Harrisburg Cptl Cy Ap 72511 (8 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Cumberland County has had 11 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2020-03-30: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-03-23: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Snowstorm)
- 2012-10-29: Hurricane Sandy (Hurricane)
- 2011-09-12: Tropical Storm Lee (Flood)
- 2011-09-08: Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Capital City Airport (HAR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 8 miles away.
- Dillsburg 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Lower Allen 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
- Camp Hill 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- Lemoyne 7 mi northeast, about 12 min by car
- Boiling Springs 8 mi west, about 13 min by car
- West Fairview 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
- Harrisburg 10 mi northeast, about 16 min by car
- Enola 10 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Bressler 10 mi northeast, about 16 min by car
- Enhaut 10 mi northeast, about 16 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Covered bridge at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Swampyank, CC BY-SA 4.0
- UNION HOTEL, SHEPHERDSTOWN, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gilbert Bridge, Delphinium1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JOHN WILLIAMS HOUSE, WILLIAMS GROVE, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ShepherdstownRoute15, GaryT82, CC0
- US 15 nb entering Upper Allen Township, PA, July 2025, Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page , my Commons user talk page , or my English Wikipedia user talk page ; I'll know about it a lot faster), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gettysburg Pike in Upper Allen Township, GaryT82, CC0
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