Harrisburg
Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Pennsylvania's capital since 1812. As Harris' Ferry, was settled a century before by John Harris Sr. Laid out as a town in 1785 by John Harris Jr. For over 200 years a center of travel, trade, and historic events.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Harrisburg began as Harris' Ferry, a Susquehanna crossing run by the trader John Harris Sr. a century before the town took shape. His son John Harris Jr. laid out the town in 1785, and it became Pennsylvania's capital in 1812. Its riverside setting kept it at the center of travel, trade, and political life for generations.
Why it matters
The city's growth from ferry to capital shows how a river crossing could anchor commerce and government in the young republic.
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Related people
- · John Harris Sr.
- · John Harris Jr.
Related events
- · Founding of Harrisburg (1785)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Pennsylvania Canal
Harrisburg, PA · est. 1953
In the 1820s and 30s, states raced to build canals that could move freight faster than any road. Pennsylvania answered with an ambitious state-owned system, constructed between 1826 and 1834, meant to link Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lake Erie across the mountains. The first lock dedicated here in 1827 was christened "Penn Lock," later superseded by newer locks as the network matured.
Market Square
Harrisburg, PA · est. 1953
From the town's founding in 1785 until 1889, this square was Harrisburg's beating commercial heart. Farmers rolled in from the surrounding countryside to sell produce from open market sheds and straight off their wagons at the curb, while inns crowded the edges of the square to serve travelers and traders. For over a century it was where the city fed itself and did its business.
John Harris Mansion
Harrisburg, PA · est. 1946
John Harris Jr., founder of Harrisburg, built this stone house in 1764–66 near his family's Susquehanna ferry. A century later it became the home of Simon Cameron, the powerful Pennsylvania politician who served as Abraham Lincoln's first Secretary of War, and it welcomed many prominent visitors. Today it houses the Dauphin County Historical Society.
Harris' Ferry - PLAQUE
Harrisburg, PA · est. 1915
On the banks of the Susquehanna here stood the landing of Harris' Ferry, first granted to John Harris in 1733 and for half a century the name by which the future Harrisburg was known. It was among the most important crossings in early Pennsylvania, funneling settlers, traders, and pack trains westward into the interior and on toward the Ohio Valley. From this modest ferry grew the city that would become the state capital.