Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Pennsylvania's capital since 1812. Settled a century before by John Harris, Sr. Known as Harris' Ferry until laid out by John Harris, Jr. as a town in 1785. For over 200 years a center of travel, trade, and historic events.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Harrisburg traces its origins to Harris' Ferry, a Susquehanna crossing settled by the trader John Harris Sr. His son John Harris Jr. laid out the town in 1785, and it became Pennsylvania's capital in 1812. For more than two centuries the river city has been a crossroads of travel, trade, and historic events.
Why it matters
From ferry landing to capital, Harrisburg shows how river crossings shaped the map of inland America.
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Related people
- · John Harris Sr.
- · John Harris Jr.
Related events
- · Founding of Harrisburg (1785)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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J. Donald Cameron
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The mansion that once stood here belonged to a Pennsylvania powerbroker who inherited and expanded one of the era's great political machines. He ran a major railroad through the Civil War years, served briefly as Secretary of War under President Grant, and then held a U.S. Senate seat for two decades. Following his father Simon Cameron into the family's dominance of state politics, he made his Harrisburg home a stage for the deal-making that defined Gilded Age America.
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