Camp Hill (Montgomery County), Pennsylvania
| Camp Hill, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
Battle of White Marsh (December 5-8, 1778).
Camp Hill (labeled "Sandy Run") is at upper left. |
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 Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
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| Coordinates: 40°07′35.94″N 75°11′40.52″W / 40.1266500°N 75.1945889°WCoordinates: 40°07′35.94″N 75°11′40.52″W / 40.1266500°N 75.1945889°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |
 Pennsylvania
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| County |
 Montgomery
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| Township |
Whitemarsh Upper Dublin Springfield |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 19034 |
| Area code(s) | 215 |
Camp Hill is a small unincorporated community that straddles Whitemarsh Township, Upper Dublin Township, and Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Located about 3 miles outside of Philadelphia, the area played a role in the Revolutionary War.
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.
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.
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