History
Following the September 11, 1777 Battle of Brandywine, the British Army occupied Philadelphia. Camp Hill was one of three adjacent hills outside the city held by General George Washington and 11,000 Continental troops, beginning November 2, 1777. The others were Militia Hill, to the west, now part of Fort Washington State Park; and Fort Hill, to the north, now Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. The December 5–8, 1777 Battle of White Marsh took place on the plain below the hills. Despite three days of fighting, General Sir William Howe was unable to overcome the strategic advantage that the topography gave Washington, and withdrew back to Philadelphia. The name "Camp Hill" comes from the thousands of Continental soldiers' tents that once covered it. [1]
Ten years later, Washington returned to Philadelphia as a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He toured the White Marsh battlefield with his friend, Robert Morris.
Camp Hill was the site of the Great Train Wreck of 1856, the worst railroad disaster in world history up to that time. Two passenger trains, heading toward each other on a single track, collided on a blind curve. Approximately 60 people, mostly children on their way to a Sunday School picnic, were killed and more than 100 were injured. [2]
Geography
The topography of the area, an outcropping of high ground surrounded by lowlands, made Camp Hill a popular location for Gilded Age country houses. Dreshertown Road runs along the crest of Camp Hill, and features both custom houses and suburban developments. Camp Hill Road runs north–south over the rise of the elevation and features custom single family homes.
Sandy Run (Wissahickon Creek) flows along the south side of Camp Hill; Pine Run flows along the north side. The Pennsylvania Turnpike passes just north of Camp Hill, and the 309 Expressway passes to the west.
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