Shelley McMinn Anderson

Cumberland Township and Carmichaels Shelley McMinn Anderson

Cumberland Township, located in the northeastern portion of Greene County, was one of Pennsylvania's original townships. The history of this area shows that settlers were here prior to 1760. The settlement known as Old Town was founded in 1767. In 1796, Carmichaels was named in honor of Maj. James Carmichael, a Revolutionary War soldier and pioneer settler. Carmichael had traded his land in what is now the town of Jefferson for land owned by Thomas Hughes along the banks of Muddy Creek in Old Town. Carmichaels became home to the Greene Academy, notably, the first school of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Carmichaels Covered Bridge spans Muddy Creek separating Old Town from Carmichaels. Both the Greene Academy and the Carmichaels Covered Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.