NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
24 August 2004

CITY GOVERNMENT CENTER EXHIBITS ON LOCAL HISTORY THE LATEST PHASE IN HARRISBURG HISTORY PROJECT

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today invited citizens and visitors to browse exhibits established in the first floor Atrium of Harrisburg’s City Government Center which displays artifacts, photographs and details about local history that spans more than two centuries.

The exhibits are the next phase of the Harrisburg History Project com- misioned by the Mayor and which may best be known for the more than 100 sidewalk-mounted outdoor exhibits placed in the past 12 months that feature text and photography about many of the city’s historic landmarks. The pedestrian level displays have been placed citywide.

They have recently been supplemented by the placement of Walking Tour outdoor map exhibits, showing pedestrians where they are located and the nearby sites of historic or other interest. The map series corresponds to city-issued brochures that identify the same sites on the maps and provide greater detail of each site’s significance.

The Atrium exhibits will rotate from time-to-time, utilizing historic items from the Harrisburg City Archives or from other sources. The first-ever City Archives were created by Reed twenty years ago to retain items of local historic importance. Few artifacts and records of the city had ever been kept by the city prior to then. The city was first incorporated as a borough in 1791 after having been a river crossing and trade center since 1720, and had been earlier occupied by Native Americans for at least 8,000 years.

Reed said the exhibits are easily viewed. “This is not set to a museum scale. The exhibits are limited in size, the admission is free at all times, and everything can be seen in a short visit,” the Mayor noted, which means everyone from downtown workers to visiting out-of-towners can take-in the exhibits while doing other activities downtown or ever during a lunch hour.

The present displays focus on some of Harrisburg’s most enduring landmarks and personages with old photographs, lithographs, postcards and rare artifacts. These include:

THE JOHN HARRISES AND WILLIAM MACLAY

Features Harrisburg’s founders, John Harris Sr. and Jr., and William Maclay, who laid out the town in 1785.

Exhibit highlights:

• Original 18th Century, wood traveling desk of John Harris, Jr. with inscribed brass nameplate;
• 18th Century powder horn, magnifying glass and inkwell, all from early Harrisburg;
• Copy of the original plan of the borough as drawn in 1796;
• Before and after comparisons of William Maclay’s house at Front and South Streets;

OLD PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD STATION

Traces the Civil War-era train station built in 1857 and present train station dating to 1887.

Exhibit highlights:

• Photo of Lincoln’s funeral train when in Harrisburg in 1865;
• Various images of the evolution of the present building;
• Commemorative plate issued upon the Station’s restoration in 1985;

OLD DAUPHIN COUNTY COURTHOUSES

Describes the first and second County Courthouses, erected in 1792-99 and 1860, respectively.

Exhibit highlights:

• Original 1798 trial journal of John Jacob Bucher who served as Judge in the first Dauphin County Courthouse;
• Photo tribute to two of the salvaged columns from the second courthouse which now stand at the 18th Street entrance to Reservoir Park;

ITALIAN LAKE

Provides a brief history of the beginnings of Italian Lake in the mid-1920’s

Exhibit highlights:

• Original 1925 color sketch showing an early plan of the Park by Landscape Architect James R. McConaghie;
• Enlarged photo of the swampy beginnings of the Lake before park development;
• Early aerial image of the adjacent Riverside neighborhood;

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MEMORIAL BRIDGE

Traces the history of this magnificent structure, which serves as the eastern gateway to the Capitol Complex and downtown.

Exhibit highlights:

• Original program of the bridge’s dedication in 1930;
• Souvenir badge worn on dedication day
• Enlarged photo of the bridge deck under construction

WALNUT STREET BRIDGE

Commemorates this National Register landmark, the oldest surviving bridge across the Susquehanna in the mid-state.

Exhibit highlights:

• Pre-paid token for easy access through the toll booths which once stood on City Island;
• Cross-brace connector star salvaged from the bridge’s western span;
• 1890 original stock certificate for the bridge’s financing

CAMELBACK BRIDGE

Exhibit highlights:

• Original 1812 stock certificate issued to finance the bridge’s construction;
• Several views of the bridge while in operation and when flooded;

PENN HARRIS HOTEL

Studies this famous elegant downtown hotel that stood at Third and Walnut Streets.

Exhibit highlights:

• Section of exterior cornice salvaged from the building’s rubble after its destruction in 1973;
• Silverware and china used in the hotel’s restaurants;
• Embossed bronze key tag;
• Doorman’s overcoat;

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL AND OLD CITY HALL

Main boy’s high school from 1904 to1925 and later served as City Hall from 1928 to 1982.

Exhibit highlights:

• “Old Tech” banner pillow from use as a school;
• Several “Old Tech” yearbooks;
• Photos of City Council Chambers and Mayor’s Office when used as City Hall;

RESERVOIR PARK

Harrisburg’s largest park, located at the city’s summit, has sweeping vistas and views and historically having a variety of uses and attractions.

Exhibit highlights:

• Photo of golfers when Park was partially used as a golf course;
• Photo of former observation tower at the Park’s summit;
• Framed original sketch plan c.1895 depicting lands to be acquired through the Park’s turn-of-the-Century expansion; Reed said James “Jeb” Stuart, III, oversees the City Archives, the outdoor placards and overall Harrisburg History Project, and the new Atrium exhibits for the city as part of his city assignments.

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