Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Dr. Benjamin Rush
Founder of Dickinson College
Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a representative at the Continental Congress and the physician general of the Continental Army. An influential advocate for American independence, the Philadelphia native was consulted by Thomas Paine on the writing of Common Sense and maintained close relationships with presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who appointed Rush treasurer of the U.S. Mint in 1797. Considered the father of American psychiatry, Rush was the first American doctor to champion humane care for the mentally ill. He also was a vocal proponent of the abolition of slavery, prison reform and universal health care and education.
Rush worked closely with John Montgomery, a prominent Carlisle merchant, soldier and politician, to expand the local grammar school into Dickinson College in 1783.
Opposed to the European higher-education model of learning for learning's sake, Rush steered
Rush considered Carlisle, which was then on the edge of the western frontier, to be an ideal location for Dickinson's new, distinctly American form of higher learning. "Highly favored Village of Carlisle!" he wrote after one of several visits. "Your hills...shall ere long awaken our young philosophers from their slumbers to trace the planets in their courses."
Erected by Historic Carlisle, Inc.
Location. 40° 12.121′ N, 77° 11.638′ W. Marker is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of West High Street (U.S. 11) and North West Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The John Dickinson Campus of Dickinson College (here, next to this marker); The Presidentís House (within shouting distance of this marker); George Washington (within shouting distance of this marker); West College: A National Historic Landmark Dickinson College (about 400 feet away); Thomas Butler (about 500 feet away); The High Street Train Stations (about 600 feet away); James Wilson (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.
Also see . . . Benjamin Rush at FindAGrave.com. (Submitted on May 1, 2015, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Categories. • Education • Science & Medicine •
Credits. This page was last revised on September 14, 2018. This page originally submitted on May 1, 2015, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 327 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 1, 2015, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on August 18, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.