Native Americans occupied what is today's Harrisburg over 8,000 years ago until the late 1700s. The first permanent European settlement consisted of a tavern and trading post established by John Harris, Sr., sometime after 1704. His son, John Harris, Jr., the founder of Harrisburg, created the ferry service, giving rise to the village's original name of Harris' Ferry. The first plan for the town was laid out in 1785 by Harris' son-in-law, William Maclay, who later became one of Pennsylvania's first two United States Senators.
Incorporated as a borough in 1791, and later established as a city in 1860, Harrisburg is the first and only Seat of Dauphin County, which was created in 1785. The County was named for the crown prince and heir to the French throne in honor of France's help to the United States during the American Revolution.
During the Civil War, Harrisburg served as a central and major location for the assembly and dispatch of over 300,000 Union troops at Camp Curtin, named for Pennsylvania's wartime governor. The city's importance in the war is recognized to this day by the establishment of the National Civil War Museum in the city, the largest museum in the world focused on the Civil War.
Upon the dawn of the 20th Century the "City Beautiful Movement" was launched in Harrisburg, involving massive improvements to the city's park and public works systems; a national model at the time. Only since 1982 to now has Harrisburg experienced a similar period of extensive improvement efforts and development.
From pioneer and Colonial times to the present day, Harrisburg has been in the forefront of changes in American society and commerce, and a leader, participant and witness to the great events and development which have charted and mirrored the dynamics and growth of our Commonwealth and Nation. The following links attempt to catch a sampling of Harrisburg's marvelous legacy.
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