Mechanicsburg is located in central Pennsylvania, halfway between the state capital of Harrisburg and the Cumberland County seat of Carlisle. The first documented building was constructed in 1801. Incorporated in 1828, the borough had a population of roughly 550. That population doubled from 1850 to 1860. The town was founded on industry, with mechanics building and repairing wagons. With the establishment of the Cumberland Valley Railroad, Mechanicsburg became a hub for many products, both homegrown and man-made. The town had many nationally known manufacturers, such as Wilcox Forging Corporation, Potts Manufacturing Company, and Seidle Spoke and Wheel Works. Major-league baseball bats were made by Consula, and wool hunting shirts sold by Woolrich were made by the Snelbaker Manufacturing Company. In 1942, the US government built the largest inland Navy supply depot in Mechanicsburg. The town was home to Irving College, one of the first female colleges in the country. It also hosts Jubilee Day, the largest one-day street fair on the East Coast.

Author Beverly J. Bone, a historian and Mechanicsburg resident, is the president of the Mechanicsburg Museum Association and a research assistant for the Cumberland County Historical Society. The images were compiled from the Mechanicsburg Museum Association, the Cumberland County Historical Society, the Joseph T. Simpson Public Library, and private collections.