Wicked Carlisle: The Dark Side of the Cumberland Valley

by Joseph David Cress

With Wicked Carlisle, author Joe Cress revisits the criminal history of Cumberland County. Taking a more focused and less bloody approach, Cress will largely bring new stories of mischief to the table, though he will revisit the lighter side of two or three crimes from Murder and Mayhem in Cumberland County. From stories of college pranks gone wrong, Carlisle's own Robin Hood and the robbing and subsequent torching of a beloved local theater (the Strand where the local HS now sits ) to abuses at the Carlisle Indian School and the town's connection to the raid on Harper's Ferry, Cress scours the underbelly of the borough for mischief and misdeeds.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2012

Reviews

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good historical look at some of the less-savory people and events in the history of the Pennsylvania town of Carlisle. For those interested in intriguing historical tidbits, this is a good and well-researched read.

[Beth Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 is a better measure on this one. It tells interesting tales but is sometimes jumpy in the telling. You find out a main event and then it's told with the timeline, only to come back to the event. The history though is interesting. I learned more about Carlisle and that is always good.

[Amy Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it for the first chapter about Christopher Shockey - a little info about some interesting fruit on my family tree. I sure wish that the vignettes were more detailed... well, at least the one I was interested in. Still, it was fun to get even a little info.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short snippets of Carlisle history reminiscent of Cress other books. If you need a brief overview of several events, this is a good place to start. If you are looking for in-depth reporting, this is not the place. With 13 stories in 128 pages, it is a cursory examination.

[Two Readers in Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlight for us: A Dickenson college prank resulted in the college president being temporarily confied to an insane asylum. (A good ancedote to pull out the next we get to talking about 'kids these days.')